Whispers in the Dark
by alyssacousland
Summary: After the Battle of Kirkwall, Anders is fleeing from some templars when he finds himself falling into the world of Skyrim and the Dovahkiin. Follow their journey as they strive to defeat Alduin! Anders/fDovahkiin
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello everyone! My friend moosesaregreat and I are co-writing this crossover fic, and hope you like it! We are having fun writing it! **_

_**Bioware and Bethesda Softworks own everything. We just play with their characters! :D **_

Chapter 1

Anders swallowed, the sweat pouring down his forehead. He had thought that the templars who were after him would not follow him into the Deep Roads.

He was mistaken.

The templars had not only entered the Deep Roads, but also had picked up his scent fairly easily, even without a phylactery to guide them. He quickly rushed to a closed stone door and shut it behind him. The vast chamber had a torch flickering half-heartedly at the end of the room.

His eyes darted wildly around the chamber hoping for a way out, but there was nothing but old furniture at one end. He felt his fear of being in an enclosed area take over him and he tried to control it. Just then, his eyes spotted a stone cupboard of sorts at the far right side of the room.

_We should face them. Once and for all._

"Not now, Justice!" Anders exclaimed as he hurried to the stone cupboard. "You know there are too many of them. Or do you want me to die?"

_I thought __**you**__ wanted to die, after the Battle in Kirkwall. _

Anders shook his head as he opened the door. The place was very dark and small, but he could fit in there nicely if he crouched, or knelt. Without thinking twice he stepped inside and knelt in the enclosed space, then tried to keep himself calm. His claustrophobic fear of dark, enclosed spaces was still there, and he had to muster a lot of willpower in order to keep himself from flinging open the door.

Images of his time in solitary confinement rushed to his mind and he bit his lower lip trying to focus on anything else that could stop them from coming. He soon found himself thinking of Hawke and his ex-companions and that was not good at all. He had fallen for her, but she had chosen Fenris. In a way, it was a relief, for he never wanted her to be on the run like he was now.

A voice outside his hiding place brought him back and he tensed. The templars had already found the chamber he was hiding in and it was only a matter of time before he was discovered.

_Face them! Let me take over! _

He pressed his fingers to his temples, rubbing them vigorously in an attempt to shut Justice's voice out. But Justice was not to be quieted down so easily. Ever since the explosion at the Chantry in Kirkwall, Justice had been more demanding than ever. In truth, it was Justice's fault that he was being hunted down recently, for he had taken over in front of a couple of templars in the chantry at Jader. He had killed them in cold blood in front of the Revered Mother and all the other templars. It was then that Anders had come to and panicked, running out of the place as fast as he could.

Another voice made him stiffen, and his skin started to crackle as blue streaks of light made their way to the surface.

"No! You will get us killed!"

Justice retreated, but it was too late. One of the templars saw the faint light emanating from the cupboard and sent out a holy smite that hit it with force, blowing stone and wood against the wall. The smite hit Anders and flung him directly at a mirror that had been leaning on the wall and it shattered, the shards flying around him, the mirror itself pulsating with magic. Anders felt a tug and a pull and was lifted into the air, caught in a whirlwind, with the six templars staring at the scene before them in horror.

Anders felt himself fall, and turned his body, trying to land feet first, but he never hit the ground. A dark void appeared below him and he continued to fall.

Then he fainted.

…

Alessia vaulted easily onto her dappled horse and plodded him away from the Riften stable, towards the road to Whiterun. The day was bright and clear, something virtually unknown here in Skyrim, and she was looking forward to a nice, if moderately long ride. A day in the saddle wouldn't mar her rump too horribly, and neither would an overnight stay on a bed of rocks, as seemed customary when camping in the Skyrim wilderness. It was much different from her homeland in Cyrodiil, though no less beautiful. Back home was much more colorful; a bounty of trees, flowers and fungi. With the colder temperature here, the landscape was limited to coniferous trees, rocky hills and outcrops, but the mountains forever rising majestically against the horizon were no less wondrous.

Looking off to the mountain peak in the distance, she saw a bright flash of light and a black shape fall gracelessly from nowhere close to the road, perhaps a quarter of a mile away. Curiosity got the best of her as it normally did, and she spurred her horse to a gallop. She quickly came upon the haphazard lump on the ground. It was a man. Reining her horse in, she quickly leapt from the saddle and landed directly next to the hurt human.

He had long blond hair, which was probably held back in a band, but most was loose about his face from the impact. Black feathered pauldrons about his shoulders turned into what could only be a mage's robes from the chest down. With a trembling hand, Alessia put her fingers to his throat to try to find a pulse. Her touch spurred a strangled moan from the man and she jumped back, immediately spinning around for the health potions stashed in her saddlebag.

Finding one quickly, she pulled the stopper out as she turned back around. Kneeling, she bent to put the potion to his lips when his eyes opened and adjusted on her face, brow furrowed. _What the blazes? _"Where did you come from?" she demanded, holding the potion a scant inch from his mouth. "You fell from the sky!"

The handsome man's eyes crossed slightly as his lids slid shut. _Shit shit shit. _Alessia threaded her hand under his head and lifted it slightly, wary of his injuries and dumped the potion into his mouth. He swallowed by reflex and his body relaxed. She laid his head down gently and felt again for a pulse. When she found one, she jumped up quickly, mounted her horse and galloped towards the city's gates.

…

"He's got a few broken ribs and he might be a little concussed," Herluin said after he finished prodding the blond man on the ground in front of him. "Heh heh…concussed. Ha!" Alessia chuckled at the crazy old man. She had gotten back to Riften and enlisted help for the man she had stumbled across in record time. Herluin made a fist above the man's chest and it glowed golden for a few seconds before burning out. "That's the best I can do, child. Now he needs rest. Have your Nord mountain here take him to the Bee." He rose and poked Dirge in the chest. "Gently, mind you! Don't break him all over again. Fetch me if anything changes," and with that, the mage turned and wandered off down the road in the opposite direction of town, probably in search of alchemy ingredients.

Alessia nodded to the man standing next to her. He stared at her, motionless. She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "I know what I'm doing, Dirge. No man deserves to rot out here. Here there be DRAGONS!" she exclaimed, waving her hands wildly. Dirge rolled his eyes at her and grunted before kneeling down and gracelessly throwing the injured man over his shoulder.

The short trip back to town was made silently, Dirge glaring sullenly at Alessia, Alessia glaring right back with pursed lips. The city guard nodded to Alessia as they entered the gates, and they walked into the Bee and Barb. The innkeeper's eyes bulged slightly beneath her horned eyebrows as Alessia made her way to the bar.

"We'll need a room for…I don't know, until we don't need it anymore," Alessia said, the large blond man grumbling over his burden next to her. The innkeeper looked from her to the man slung over Dirge's shoulder and back again. Alessia grinned. "I found it outside the city gates. As far as we know, it's not contagious."

The innkeeper raised an eyebrow. "Of course, mistress." She jotted down a few words in her records and looked back up. "Is…is he actually sick?"

Alessia laughed and smiled more widely at her. "You should know me better than that, Keerava. He wasn't sick, just broken. He just needs rest now."

"Ah, I see. The usual room is open. Shall I show you the way?"

Alessia sighed. "I swear, if I roll my eyes one more time today, they'll roll right out of my head." She turned around and took the steps to the upper floor two at a time. She opened a door at the top of the stairs, spared a narrow-eyed look at the well-dressed woman sitting at the end of the hallway and entered.

Dirge followed and deposited his burden unceremoniously onto the bed. Alessia clenched her jaw and moved the man's top half so he was right in the bed, then gently lifted the man's head and put a pillow under it. Moving over to the table ensconced in the corner of the room, she pulled a chair out and pointed to it. "Sit down. I have some questions for him when he wakes up, and I have business to attend to."

Dirge's eyebrows raised. "I don't know what you think you're-"he began angrily, but Alessia cut him off.

"Are you afraid of a man in a dress, Dirge? Just do as I say without arguing, for once. Have Sapphire come find me when he wakes."

…

Anders came to feeling like all the bones in his body had broken. He groaned and tried to move, trying to focus on all his bones to see if he could heal himself with his magic. That's when a powerful stench reached his nostrils and nearly made him puke. _What was that awful smell?_

He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was a man looking at him with his arms crossed, and a very angry expression on his face, sitting on a chair right next to the bed he was lying on. Anders tried to sit up and the man growled something at someone who was invisible, or so he thought, until he heard footsteps leading away from the door.

"You just sit tight," the man grunted at him. "She'll be here shortly."

Anders blinked back in confusion, then glanced around the room, panicking a little. Where was he? Struggling to focus, he sat up, and discovered that the foul stench was coming from the man. He nearly gagged. Didn't people bathe around here?

He quickly assessed his bones and other parts of his body and realized with a relief that nothing was broken, as he took in his surroundings. The door was on the other side of the room, behind the dirty man, so he'd have to make a run for it hoping for the best. It looked like the man was not only filthy, but could guess what others were thinking as well.

"You are not going anywhere!" The man grumbled angrily, his hand on Anders's chest to push him back.

Anders felt the first signs of Justice struggling to the surface, but he still held on.

"Where are the templars? Are you working for them?" He asked the man.

Dirge frowned at him. This man was clearly delirious. "Templars? What are templars?"

_He is lying!_

Faint blue cracks started to appear all over Anders's body. Dirge stood up in alarm, and let out a yell.

"Keerava! Send Talen-Jei! Quick!"

Anders did not know what 'Talen-Jei' was, but he stood up quickly on the other side of the bed and swayed a little, feeling the rush of blood invade his brain. He shook his head, his eyes on his staff first, which was lying against the wall right next to the door. Then, what he could only describe as a monster came through the door and his eyes widened, nearly popping out. _What was that thing?_ _A dragon-man?_

"Eassssy, friend," the dragon-man hissed. "We are not going to hurt you." He advanced slowly to where Anders was standing, now crackling blue as Justice finally took over.

"Fools!" Justice roared. "Back off!"

At that moment a figure dressed in black entered the room. The figure stood still, but then took off its mask and revealed a lovely elven woman, with the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. Justice retreated and Anders's jaw dropped open.

"Maker! What _is _this place?" Anders asked in a shaky voice.

…

Alessia sighed and pulled her mask down over her face. It had been three days since she had found the man on the road, and her pressing business in Whiterun could no longer wait for him to wake. Adjusting her bow on her back, she turned to leave Honeyside when Sapphire burst in.

"The man you found, he's awake! And he's ANGRY! Dirge was yelling for help when I left," she panted as she leaned forward, putting her hands on her thighs to catch her breath. "Why did you have to find a mage? He'll tear the inn apart!"

Alarmed, Alessia pushed past Sapphire and bolted out the door. She lost her footing rounding the corner of the inn, scrambled to get herself upright, then burst through the door. Keerava yelled something at her, but she ignored it, hearing a deep voice yelling in the room above. She ran up the stairs and yanked open the door to find the mage standing next to the bed, his skin veined with blue light.

She skid to a stop and stared at him, realizing that she must look even more intimidating with her hood and mask. She raised her hands in a placating gesture, then slid her fingers under the mask and pulled it off, the hood falling down around her shoulders.

The glowing man looked at her for a moment, then the azure light coming from him abruptly went out. He stared at her, mouth agape, before finally saying, "Maker! What _is_ this place?"

"Dirge, Talen-Jei, thank you for your assistance. You may leave," Alessia said as she looked to the opposite corner of the room. "You too, Brynjolf."

The mage jumped when Brynjolf appeared from the shadows behind him. Talen-Jei bowed and left without a word. Brynjolf spared the mage an appraising glance before turning to Alessia. "Are you sure, lass?"

Alessia smiled and touched his arm. "I can take care of myself. You know that." Brynjolf smiled warmly at her before turning and exiting the room. Dirge stood silently as always, leaning against the wall next to the bed, opposite the mage. Alessia glared at him and pointed towards the door.

"I don't think," he began before Alessia cut him off.

"I didn't ask what you thought. Leave."

"But he's dangerous. My job is to - ," Dirge started to say before she again cut him off.

"Your job is to do as I say." Alessia looked to the mage, who still was standing next to the bed, watching the conversation. "I just want to ask you some questions and then you may leave. I found you close to death on the side of the road and made sure that you lived. Will you hurt me?" The wide-eyed mage shook his head. "There you go, Dirge. Out."

"But-"

In a blur of movement, Alessia pulled one of her daggers from its sheath and threw it. It thunked into the wall an inch from Dirge's head, making the large man jump. He eyed the blade still quivering right next to his face before turning his incredulous gaze back to her.

"Shut up and get out." Alessia folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. He stared at her for a few more seconds before giving her a grim smile and leaving the room.

When the door clicked shut behind him, Alessia waited for a moment before crossing the room to retrieve her blade from the wall. She sheathed it at her hip and turned to the man on the other side of the bed. "I'm not usually like that," she said, and sat down heavily in the chair. She sighed and rubbed her temples. "Unfortunately, that man doesn't respond to anything but violence. He's a moody git and always will be, I think." Pointing to the bed, she smiled up at the mage. "Please, have a seat. We have much to discuss."

"He stinks, too," Anders commented with a smile. "Although I've been on the run for a week now, and I must smell something awful..."

"I can't smell you from here and that's more than I could say for Dirge."

"Thank you for taking care of me, though I wish it had been you I first saw when I opened my eyes," Anders shook his head, a smile playing on the corners of his mouth.

"I _am_ much better looking and I don't stink," Alessia said with a grin. "Now, I do have to ask you...I saw you fall from the sky. A flash of light and there you were. Who are you?"

"I knew I wasn't in Thedas any longer. Especially when I saw that...dragon-man, or whatever he was," Anders sighed. "My name is Anders and I come from Thedas, though I'm sure you don't know where that is."

"Nope. I'm Alessia, by the way," she said, leaning back into the chair. "You're in Riften, in the province of Skyrim."

"Riften, Skyrim...I'm not at all familiar with these names," Anders frowned. "I guess I must have fallen straight off the map of Thedas, into another world. I must get back…I don't think I have a place here..."

Alessia thought for a moment. "I suppose that I can't help you get back if I don't know how you got here. What is the last thing that you remember before the whole flying thing?"

Anders's frown deepened. "I was running from the templars, so I hid in what looked like a normal cupboard, but there was a mirror there which exploded when one of the templars cast a holy smite on me..."

Alessia shook her head and leaned forward. "Firstly, I have no idea what a templar is. Secondly, why would they smite you? Is that a magic thing?"

"Don't tell me you don't have templars here!" Anders exclaimed, his eyes now twinkling. "Have I died and am now in the Golden City? Aren't mages persecuted here?"

Alessia's brow furrowed in thought. "People here don't care much for the College of Winterhold. That's a school for mages. But, mages themselves aren't. Anyone can learn magic here if they want to."

"Anyone can learn magic? Anyone?" Anders jaw dropped open in surprise. "I can't believe it! And no templars? Is it my birthday?"

Alessia chuckled. "Happy birthday, then! Yes, anyone can learn. I never cared much for learning magic, but I can heal myself a bit if I need to."

"I'm a healer. At least that's what I specialized in. I used to run a clinic, well, where I'm from. What is this world called? And what was that dragon-man that came into the room a while ago? Is he dangerous?"

"The world we are in is called Nirn. Dragon-man?" Alessia mused. "He's an Argonian. There are many around here, and no, he's not dangerous." Alessia's eyes lit up. "You know of dragons? What do you know?"

"We fight dragons where I come from. Well, usually whenever they show up. But I have killed one or two in the past and helped kill several, why?"

Alessia stared at her hands. "Well…we seem to have a dragon problem. There weren't any for ages, they were wiped out. Something happened, and now they've come back." She looked up to him, her silvery-blue eyes pleading. "I know I said that you could leave, but can you help us?"

Anders felt himself melt under her pleading gaze. How could he say 'no' to such a beautiful –

_Your train of thought is disturbing. Must you fall for every woman who rescues you? _

Anders ignored Justice and gave Alessia what he hoped was a charming smile. "Of course I'll help. And I'm afraid there's no way back for me at the moment, so I'll do whatever you need me to do. Though I wish to bathe first if that's all right with you?"

Alessia grinned. "Of course. I've never understood why everyone here is _so _dirty. Follow me."  
…


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N from moosesaregreat: Hey, guys! Thank you soooo much for the follows, favorites and reviews! I'm glad that you like what we have so far! We had meant to do more with this chapter, but we found that with all the dialogue, it was quite long. So! You get this chapter now, and MAYBE-IF YOU'RE GOOD, another in the next couple of days, bypassing our weekly quota. : D Please, drop us a line and let us know what you think! Feedback is always appreciated!**_

_**As always, our disclaimer: Bioware and Bethesda own everything! We solemnly swear this! :D **_

Chapter 2

They set off immediately to Whiterun, even though Anders wished he could study the people of Riften more closely. They looked human enough, but he did catch an Argonian or two in the market place/square where they stopped for supplies.

Alessia said hello to the guy who had materialized behind him. He had a stall and was selling a special potion. Anders could tell by the twinkle in his eye that the so-called 'miracle in a bottle' was nothing like Brynjolf described. He smiled to himself as they left the city, his gaze now fixed on Alessia's back as she led him to the stables. She turned to him and smiled, the reins of a dapple horse in her hands, which she handed to Anders.

"Um…" Anders began uncertainly, gazing up at the majestic animal in front of him.

"Don't tell me you can't ride a horse?" Alessia asked with a look of dismay on her face.

"I – uh…" Anders pursed his lips. "We don't have many horses in Thedas…"

Alessia rolled her eyes. She led her horse and the one assigned for Anders away from the stables. "I guess I'll have to teach you," she sighed.

She went through the movements of mounting a horse as slowly as she could and Anders tried to focus on what she was saying, but was distracted by her slim figure. Slim…but curvy and in the right places, too…

_I can see this is going to take a while…_

Justice's voice was laden with impatience, interrupting his inner thoughts and Anders came back to the present with a start. He grabbed the reins a little too quickly and might have yanked on them too hard, for the horse gave a snort and turned his head around to gaze at Anders warily.

"Just get on like I just showed you. The horse will do the rest," Alessia was saying. Anders glanced at her briefly, his eyes now fixed on the horse which had stopped looking at him and now had its ears laid back. He didn't know if this meant that it was annoyed or not, but he knew that if a cat did that it meant trouble, so he hesitated. The horse pawed the ground and Anders took a step back.

"I'm waiting," Alessia said.

Anders cleared his throat and stepped forward, then put his left foot on the stirrup. The horse took a couple of steps sideways, and Anders ended up hopping to keep up with it. Alessia bit her lip to keep herself from laughing.

The horse had stopped moving, so Anders put all his weight on his left foot and hoisted himself upwards, trying to swing his leg to the other side. The horse perked its ears, then laid them back again, and without a prior warning bucked.

Anders slid off and landed on the ground and Alessia burst out laughing.

"'The horse will do the rest', huh?" Anders muttered as he got up. He glared at Alessia who looked away.

"You have to get the horse to respond to you. Show him you are the boss!"

Anders spared a dark look at Alessia who grinned back at him. He then approached the horse quietly.

After a few more falls and cursing from Anders, he managed to get on the horse and nudge it to a walk while he held on unsteadily. The horse snorted and tossed its mane, but otherwise stood still waiting for his rider's next command. Alessia gave Anders an encouraging smile and next taught him how to use the reins. This time, Anders patted the horse and spoke softly to it, which the horse seemingly liked, so there were no further problems.

…

They had been riding quietly side by side for some time when Alessia turned to Anders and eyed him curiously.

"Does it look different? From Thedas, I mean. What's it like there?"

Anders gave her a ghost of a smile before he replied. "It looks different, but not that different. We have mountains too, and fir trees. To tell you the truth..." Anders's voice trailed off, as he heard a thundering noise. To the right of them in the plains, a gigantic figure wielding a club and walking with a cow following him caught his eye. "...um...giants?"

Alessia grinned. "Yeah, giants. If you leave them and their mammoths alone, they won't bother you. You could run naked through their camps singing, and they'd just stare at you and bang their clubs on the ground."

"See, now _that's_different!"

"Wait until you see the mammoths! You think the giants are big!" Alessia laughed.

"What the heck are mammoths anyway?" Anders asked.

"Think huge hairy cows, with noses that touch the ground. The giants make cheese with their milk. It's nauseating."

Anders chuckled. "Well, what do they have the cows for then?"

"The farmers think that giving the giants cows, as a form of sacrifice, will keep the giants from raiding their farms. As I said though, they keep to themselves and rarely bother anyone. I did see one around a farm once, now that I think about it. The Companions killed it, then yelled at me for not helping."

"The...companions?"

Alessia turned to him and smiled. "They're a group of warriors. You'll see where they live in Whiterun. It looks like a giant upside-down boat. I've talked to them a bit and they wanted to recruit me, but...I don't match their style, I guess. I don't rush in swinging."

Anders nodded. "That makes two of us, then! Tell me, is Whiterun the place we're going to?"

"Yes." Alessia pointed off to their left. In the distance, the flat plain ended, a spine of mountains blotting the horizon. One rose to such a height that its peak disappeared into the clouds. "See that huge mountain there? Whiterun is on the other side. We can ride straight there, but it could take all night. I've got a tent, though."

"Camping? Wonderful. I haven't had many good experiences with wilderness, so I'm all giddy with the prospect," Anders said dryly.

Alessia giggled. "It probably isn't much better here. Sleep on pointy rocks and maybe get attacked by wolves. I like it!"

Anders rolled his eyes, and then shrugged. "Well, I can make it less rocky. I know a spell for that! And what are we going to do in Whiterun? Could you fill me in?"

"As best I can," she replied. "Firstly, we're going to speak to the Jarl. He's the...ruler, I guess you'd say, for this little bit of Skyrim. It's divided up into different holds, with the Jarls presiding over them. There was a king a while back, but he was killed so the Jarls are all we have at the moment." Alessia paused, thinking. "I suppose I should tell you a bit about the dragons, too."

"Well, yes. You mentioned they were gone before, and now they're back? Or something like that. Back where I come from the dragons can turn out to be really evil."

Alessia nodded. "We don't know much about them, that's why I dragged you along with me to talk to the Jarl. They were wiped out long ago and seemed to be more myth than reality." She paused and looked at Anders. "I'm not from here in Skyrim; I'm from the province to the south, Cyrodiil. Shortly after I came here, I was captured by some Imperial troops and they were going to execute me along with some other prisoners. One of them was actually the man who killed the High King. He's not very nice, by the way."

"What do you mean, executed? For what? For being at the wrong place at the wrong time?" Anders asked, his eyes widening slightly.

Alessia snorted. "Pretty much. They thought I was a rebel Stormcloak or something, maybe. When we got to the town the executions were going to take place in, they didn't know who I was, but figured 'Hey, let's chop off her head anyway!'. Just as I was about to get my head lopped off, and I mean literally about to – my head was on the block - a dragon came and tore the town apart. A few of us were able to get out during the chaos. One of the other rebels and I got away, Ralof was his name. His sister gave me supplies and sent me off to Whiterun to talk to the Jarl. He's also not very nice, just so you know, and his children are _atrocious_." She smirked and made her voice high-pitched. "Oh, look! Another adventurer come to lick my father's boots." Laughing, she continued. "I've never wanted to hit a child before meeting _that_one. Anyway, his court mage sent me off to get some tablet about the dragons, and that was fun. Giant spiders and undead! I'm taking it back to the mage to see what we can learn."

"Giant spiders? Sounds familiar. I guess they exist in all worlds," Anders muttered. "So, you've spoken to this Jarl, and now you're taking the tablet back. But it looks like you have been living here for a while. Why did you take so long to get back to the mage and the Jarl?"

"I don't know, really. You'd think that the whole dragon thing would seem pressing. I..." Alessia eyed Anders. "What do you think about thieves? Do you think they're bad?"

Anders pulled on the reins of his horse in his bewilderment. "Thieves?" he asked, a confused look on his face. "I...um...well…I've done my share of stealing in the past. Some of them are bad, but others aren't. I guess if you have to -" Justice grumbled something and Anders shook his head. Alessia saw his skin start to crackle and faint blue light started to filter out. Anders gave a groan and shook his head again. "I don't know. I am _NOT_ going to judge after all. Things are different here, because we are in a _DIFFERENT_place. Right?" The blue faded away and he even gave Alessia a shaky smile.

Alessia raised an eyebrow. "Okay..." It seemed the last part of that wasn't meant for her, but she continued. "All of the people you've met so far, well, except the dragon-man, they...work for me. I'm the Guildmaster of the Thieves' Guild. It seems really shady, but it's actually not," she amended quickly. "A lot of Skyrim's economy actually depends on us. In the time that I've been here, I've seen a lot of strange things. _Done _a lot of strange things. Some of it, I...can't tell you about, but let's just say that the Guild isn't bad. Not now, anyway. I fixed that."

Anders gave her a genuine smile this time, his brown eyes twinkling. "I'll bet you did," he said. "You strike me as the 'fixing kind'. And not only because we are on our way to Whiterun, to try to 'fix' the dragon problem."

Alessia smiled back at him, then looked up to the sky. "I think we should find a spot to make camp for the night. We've only an hour or so of daylight left."

Anders nodded and they fell silent as they went off the road to a small clearing in the trees with a rocky outcrop that would do nicely. Alessia slid to the ground and Anders followed suit. Alessia rummaged in her saddlebag and pulled out a rolled up cloth. Turning to Anders, she asked, "Do you know how to pitch a tent?" Anders nodded with a smile.

They worked in silence, setting up the tent and Alessia disappeared for a few minutes into the shadows, bringing back some wood with her for a camp fire. Once they were all set up, she took her bow and arrow and left, while Anders sat by the fire. She returned with a rabbit and skinned it. Soon it was roasting over the fire.

Alessia pulled out one of her daggers and a whetstone and went about sharpening it. "So, I've told you a bit about myself, what about you?"

"Oh, not much to tell, really. Except for the fact that where I came from mages are persecuted. But I - um...took care of it...I guess..." Anders frowned, and a guarded look came to his face. "Thedas is a convoluted place full of war, death and rebellions. I wanted it to be different for mages there. A mage is branded as a dangerous thing; he is put away in a tower with the rest of the mages, taken away from their families at a young age. A mage is not allowed to get married or have a family. They are prisoners in the tower, and a group of soldiers watch over them. These are the templars I mentioned earlier. But I didn't mention that they abuse their power, and rape and beat the mages." Anders's skin once again seemed to crack open, and Alessia blinked as he started to glow blue. She watched as he struggled to get a grip on himself and frowned. After a few minutes, Anders shrugged. "I did have a cat, though. Best time of my life! I called him Ser Pounce-a-lot. He was a brave cat, too!"

Alessia smiled at him. "I'm glad you had something there that made you happy," she said softly. "That place sounds terrible."

"Mages aren't allowed to be happy or fall in love or...well. I'd better not get into it again. I don't want to lose my temper. It's a nice evening and I don't want to ruin it." He had a closed expression about him and Alessia understood he would not talk about himself anymore, so she nodded and kept quiet.

Soon, the rabbit was done cooking and Alessia put her things away. Anders still had the guarded look on his face. Alessia put her hand on his arm. "Why don't we just eat our dinner and go to bed? We have a long day tomorrow."

Anders nodded automatically almost, then a ghost of a smile played on the corners of his mouth. "Go to bed? I'm not that easy, my lady," he chuckled.

Alessia rolled her eyes as she cut the rabbit in two. "I'm not going to be nice to you anymore."

Anders clutched at his heart dramatically. "You wound me, my lady!" Then, he burst out laughing when she punched his arm. They ate in companionable silence. After they had finished, Alessia stoked the fire one last time and turned to Anders.

"Only one bedroll, I'm afraid..." Alessia said, grinning. "I guess you get the rocks."

"Ah, what little faith you have in me. Watch..." Anders flicked his hands and a few moments later, a nice grassy rectangular appeared right next to the bedroll. It looked soft and the smell of sweet grass reached Alessia's nostrils. In a few moments the mage settled himself on the ground, using his backpack as a pillow. An eyebrow went up, and he gave her a teasing smile. "Aren't you coming to bed, my dear?"

Alessia gave him a narrow-eyed look as she removed her sword from her back, then knelt down and settled herself in the bedroll next to Anders. "Just remember, I sleep with my dagger."

"Ouch," was Anders's comment, and then all was quiet. A few moments later, the sound of steady breathing told her he had fallen asleep. She smiled and found a comfortable spot. Soon, she had fallen asleep herself.

…

The following morning, Alessia was up before Anders and hurried to pack her bag, then went back into the tent to give the mage a shake. Anders woke and smiled, stretching on the ground before he followed her out of the tent. Alessia gave him some bread and they washed it down with some water from the brook not far from their campsite. Soon, they were back on the road again.

They chatted off and on throughout the ride, and by midday the city of Whiterun rose before them. Handing their reins to the man outside the stable, Alessia looked up the road to the city and smiled when she saw tents. "Come on, Anders. I've got a surprise for you."

"I love surprises," Anders said in a matter-of-fact voice. "I thrive on them." He gave Alessia a sidelong glance and she noticed his brown eyes were twinkling.

Anders watched her walk to one of the tents outside the city gates and he followed her, his eyes on the entrance. He saw that some of the city walls were crumbling with age, and took in the details. A few moments later, he heard Alessia say hello to someone and turned a nonchalant gaze in her direction, but then he noticed who it was that Alessia was talking to. His eyes widened and for a moment he thought he was seeing things, for there, sitting on the ground was what he could only describe as a cat 'person'. His jaw dropped and beside him Alessia chuckled.

"Anders, I'd like you to meet Ri'saad, the leader of this caravan," she said aloud, then whispered, "Close your mouth."

Anders shut his mouth and grinned. "I thought I was dreaming there for a moment!" He exclaimed.

"We are not here for your entertainment, yes?" Ri'saad said a little nettled.

"Oh! I didn't mean to be rude! I love cats!" Anders exclaimed, getting a sour look from Ri'saad in response.

Alessia cleared her throat. "He meant no offense, Ri'saad. He's not been in Tamriel long." Ri'saad still glared at Anders. "He's a friend."

Ri'saad was quiet for a moment, then shook his head. "Many know not of the Khajiit, only stories. If he is your friend, then this one will forgive him."

Anders gave a sigh of relief and gave Ri'saad a genuine smile. The Khajiit could not resist and smiled back.

Alessia pulled a small pouch from her backpack and gave it to Ri'saad. "Another gift from Tonalia," she said. "I'm sorry to only speak with you briefly, but we have pressing matters in the city."

Ri'saad put the pouch down behind him, then unfolded himself from the ground and bowed. Alessia bowed back. "Thank you, Guildmaster. This one always looks forward to doing business with you. Safe travels."

They walked to the city gates and the guards nodded at Alessia, and opened the gate for her. She let Anders look around and then headed up the stairs to 'The Drunken Huntsman', with Anders close behind her.

"'The Drunken Huntsman'," Anders voiced out loud. "Hmmm. Not a very smart thing for a huntsman to be, wouldn't you think?"

Alessia chuckled. "I thought the same. They named it that because the owners got drunk and one shot the other in the arse thinking he was a deer!"

Anders burst out laughing, but made no further comment, so Alessia pushed the door open and walked inside with him.

The man behind the counter immediately brightened at the sight of her and exclaimed, "Greetings, sister!" He stepped around and took her arm, guiding her behind the counter. "It has been some time! I have some glass arrows you may like!"

Anders eyed him curiously as they chattered about weaponry, his eyes darting from one to the other. He had called her 'sister', but looked nothing like her. For starters, he was all 'pointy'. Pointed ears, a longish pointy chin, and face. Alessia's face was rounder, and she had human features, except for her ears that clearly marked her as an elf. As soon as Alessia was done, she grinned at Elrindir, and said goodbye. Then, they both left the store. As soon as they stepped outside, Anders grabbed her arm and she stopped, turning a questioning glance at him.

"He's your brother? You two look nothing alike!" Anders mused.

Alessia sighed. "I guess it's time I told you why I came to Skyrim in the first place..."

…


	3. Chapter 3

_**First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who have reviewed (koguma, KnightOfHolyLight, Inverness and MB18932), and also those who have favorited this fic and those who are following it! :D Moosesaregreat and I are having a great time writing this!**_

_**We make a few changes in this chapter that are not exactly like in the game, but we keep to the general plot and lore. **_

_**Bioware and Bethesda own everything! :D **_

Chapter 3

Alessia sighed. "I guess it's time I told you why I came to Skyrim in the first place…"

Just then, Anders's stomach growled and Alessia ended up chuckling. "Sorry about that, I guess I'm a little hungry..."

"There's an inn just up the hill. My story is fairly long, so we can eat while we talk." Alessia led Anders up the slight incline, past a few houses and through the stalls of the small square, waving at an elf working one of the stalls on their way past. They entered The Bannered Mare, ordered some stew and sat at a table in the corner.

Anders smiled apologetically at her. "My stomach gets really demanding, I guess. It's because of something I haven't told you about yet. But that can wait. You are more important."

Alessia smiled and took a deep breath. "Alright, so...Elrindir is not my brother, as in having the same parents. We're both of Bosmer decent. There are other races of elves as well. In a way, it seems like we're divided by talents as well as looks, regardless of our race's homeland. The Dunmer lean more towards being warriors, the Altmer are more magically adept. We wood elves are the sneaky rogues."

"I had a sneaky friend once. Had a lot of fun..." Anders smiled.

"We _are _a lot of fun! But, here's the thing...you'll find that I don't look like _any_of the other races. I'm a bastard. Make a joke if you wish, but I am. My mother was a Bosmer, my father is a Nord. Back home, it wasn't so bad. Half-breeds are rather common there. But here…the Nords are obsessed with their heritage and look down upon the Mer. I don't know if it's because of that reason for the elves, but many of them don't like me, either. I'm a…pollution of the Bosmer blood." Alessia shook her head. "As if that's my fault. Most of the time, I just keep my hood up. If they can't see my ears, then I look like a Nord. No elf has blue eyes." She smiled at the Redguard who arrived bringing their meal, and began tearing her bread into pieces.

"I like your eyes, by the way," Anders said as he dug into his stew with gusto.

Alessia chuckled. "Thank you. Yours are nice, too." She ate a spoonful of stew and continued. "Elrindir and his brother, he's the elf I waved at when we were coming in, are of the few that didn't care that I'm not a pureblood. I suppose maybe that's why I kept with the Guild instead of dealing with the dragons. I know it's selfish, but with them-they don't care who you are or what you look like as long as you get the job done. I came to Skyrim to find my father. He left when he found out that my mother was pregnant with me, perhaps the Nord heritage thing, I don't know. My mother was an alchemist, and he got very angry when she refused to make something to end her pregnancy, and left. After she died, well…it's not that I _need_a parent or anything." She paused and stabbed a carrot in half with her spoon. "I need closure. I need…to look him in the eye and show him what he made and left behind. She didn't know where he went after they argued. She didn't even tell me his name. I just figured he'd come back to his homeland. Then, I found the Guild with things that seemed more important and now the dragons, so…I guess my search is done for now."

"Well, after all this is over, I can help you find your father, if you'd like. I'm pretty good at finding lost things," Anders smiled as he ate the last spoonful of his stew.

Alessia grinned as she wiped a piece of bread through the remnants of her lunch. "I'd like that. But, don't you want to get back to Thedas?"

Anders smiled, his brown eyes warm. "I like it much better here. There are no templars, mages are not persecuted and the people are nice. Also, cat people! Now, that alone has convinced me to stay. No, I don't want to go back. I'd very much like to stay. Besides, I like being with you..."

Alessia raised an eyebrow. "You know I can't convince Ri'saad to be your pet, right?"

Anders burst out laughing. "And your sense of humor tickles me! What more can I ask for? After all, all I ever wanted out of life was a pretty girl, a decent meal, and a chance to throw lightning at fools. Looks like my dream is coming true."

Alessia laughed as they stood to leave. "Just don't throw lightning at the jarl's awful, awful children. I don't pull enough weight to keep you out of the dungeons."

"Don't worry. I've had enough of dark, damp places to last me a lifetime. I'll keep out of trouble."

Alessia smiled. "You can't stay out of trouble _all_the time. Where's the fun in that?"

Anders chuckled. "Oh, I mean the _bad _kind of trouble. There's a good kind and a bad kind, you know."

Alessia led Anders out of the inn and up the steps to the Cloud District. She pointed out Jorrvaskr, the mead hall of The Companions on their way past and began their trek up what seemed like a million steps to Dragonsreach.

"Looks like the Jarl likes living in high places," Anders commented as they reached the top.

Alessia eyed the guards as they opened the door for them. "He does think a lot of himself, that's for sure," she said, and gestured to the man sitting on the throne far across the room. Jarl Balgruuf was slouched on his throne, nonchalantly staring at nothing. She led Anders across the Great Hall and came to a stop at the base of the steps leading to the throne, then bowed. The Jarl nodded at her, but didn't speak. "Ah...Jarl Balgruuf, I retrieved the tablet from Bleak Falls Barrow."

"Excellent," the Jarl said in a monotone. "Let us take it to Farengar. Follow me, if you please."

They made their way to a room at the far right side of the Great Hall, where the wizard was, leaning over a table and mumbling to himself. The Jarl announced that Alessia had the tablet with her, and Farengar looked up quickly, his eyes widening slightly with surprise.  
"I thought you had decided not to retrieve anything. This surprises me, and I am rarely surprised," Farengar said in a high-pitched voice "My 'associate' will be most pleased that you found it. It seems you are useful after all…"

Alessia said nothing, but she could feel Anders stiffen slightly beside her. It looked like Anders was a protective kind of person and she sighed, but remained silent.

At that moment, a guard ran up to the Jarl, gasping for breath, followed by Irileth. "My Jarl! Guards have spotted a dragon flying around outside the city, near the Western Watchtower!"

"We must go at once!" Irileth said, glancing at Alessia.

The Jarl turned to Alessia. "You have done Whiterun a great service. But I must ask you for another favor, my friend. You have encountered dragons before and we need your assistance. Could you please go with Irileth and help us?"

Alessia quickly glanced at Anders, then back to the Jarl and nodded. "My...encounter actually didn't involve me fighting it, but I will do my best to help."

Anders sighed, but did not say anything, and Alessia glanced at him. He was looking at the Jarl with a twinkle in his eye, and he glanced at her and winked.

They followed Irileth, who quickly ran out of Dragonsreach, calling some guards to accompany her. Near the gates, Irileth stopped to give a rallying speech. One of the guards turned to Alessia. "We are _so_screwed," he muttered.

Alessia smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. "No worries, friend. I've got your back!" Anders coughed behind her. "Oh yeah, and he's a mage."

The soldier gave Anders an appraising look. At that moment Irileth, having finished her speech, drew her sword and the soldiers followed suit. They all ran to the gates and left Whiterun.

"And the fun begins," Anders murmured behind Alessia.

…

By the time the watchtower was in sight, the sun had almost finished setting. From the short distance, they could see a large shape swooping in circles around the top. Alessia pulled her bow from her back and an arrow from her quiver. They quickly reached the base of the tower and a roar from the dragon above shook the ground beneath them. She knocked her arrow, and pulled it back, the fletching touching her lips. She waited for the dragon to sweep around the top of the tower, directly in her line of sight and loosed her arrow. When it hit the dragon, purple lines radiated from the arrow across its flesh, and the dragon screeched.

Anders focused and hit a Winter's Breath spell on the dragon, which had landed on the top of the tower. It partially froze and allowed the guards to shoot their arrows at it, and Alessia knocked one arrow after the other, her aim sure and true. By the time the great beast had unfrozen, it roared and flapped its wings, knocking the soldiers closest to it to the ground.

The dragon tried to take off from the tower, but all of the arrows had taken their toll. It flapped feebly, and fell to the ground not far from Alessia. It roared at her, and she tossed her bow to the ground and quickly drew her sword and dagger. Anders saw what she was about to do and quickly hit her with a rejuvenating spell to give her more strength and stamina. Alessia felt her energy augment and ran forward, stabbing the dragon on the side of its head with her dagger, and jumping nimbly to the side. She rolled as she hit the ground, jumped up and ran the few steps back to the dragon. Swinging her sword in an upward arc, she sliced into the underside of its neck.

It roared a final time, but its death keel formed words. "Dovahkiin! Nooo!" It tried to raise its head again, but it thumped to the ground, defeated. All around her, the guards cheered, but Alessia heard none of it as she stared at the dead dragon.

The dragon disintegrated before them. Its skin peeled away and burned and the pieces floated towards Alessia as a bright, golden light enveloped her. She felt a little dizzy and swayed, and Anders quickly stepped forward to catch her. "Are you alright?" He whispered. "You glowed golden there for a moment."

Alessia blinked and clutched her head in her hands. "I...I don't know. I saw the light around me and heard voices chanting, then I..." She shook her head. "Something like this has happened before. I found some symbols on a wall in Snowveil Sanctum and Bleak Falls Barrow, and they glowed, and the voices..."

Anders frowned with concern. At that moment one of the soldiers stepped forward. "You! You took its very soul! You are Dovahkiin! Dragonborn!"

"Wh-what? Dragonborn?" Alessia asked, confused, her shaking hands gripping Anders's forearms about her waist.

"Yes! You must know how to shout!" The soldier exclaimed. "You are Dovahkiin, you carry the blood of the dragon in you!"

"But I...I don't know! I've never..."

"Try it!" The soldier insisted. "Open your mouth and let your voice guide you!"

Alessia hesitated then opened her mouth and focused. She shouted, thinking that a scream would come out, but instead it sounded like "Fus!" A trail formed in the grass, pushing the blades away from her in a straight line, and on into the distance. Her eyes widened.

"It's true! You are the Dovahkiin!" the soldier exclaimed, while the rest murmured amongst themselves. Irileth sniffed nearby.

"I do not know about these tales, but the Jarl must be informed at once of what has happened here. Come, men. We must return to Dragonsreach immediately."

At that moment, the whole ground shook as a strong voice was heard all around. "Dovahkiin!" Alessia turned a fearful glance at Anders, who was still holding her. His eyes showed concern, but he smiled reassuringly at her. She gave him a weak smile back, her eyebrows furrowed in fear.

"The Greybeards! They are calling you!" exclaimed the soldier.

Alessia disentangled herself from Anders's arms and shook her head. "Who are the Greybeards?" she asked. But Irileth interrupted.

"We have no time for myths and stories. Off you go to Dragonsreach, or you will be reprimanded!" she snarled at the guards.

The soldier shut his mouth and followed the rest of the soldiers who were already heading back to Whiterun. Alessia picked her bow up off the ground and started to walk towards the city as well, but as soon as they all reached the gates, the strong voices were heard again, and the ground rumbled once more. "Dovahkiin!"

And at that moment, Alessia realized that things would never be quite the same.

…

The walk back to Dragonsreach was silent. Alessia had far too much going on in her head to converse with anyone. One of the guards at the door to Dragonsreach made her feel even more uncomfortable when he called her Dragonborn, and praised her for killing the dragon. Being the Guildmaster was one thing, it was more from the shadows, something that she was used to. But being the Dragonborn? She didn't really know what it meant, but knew from the soldier's reaction that it was important.

After reaching Dragonsreach, she only half paid attention to the excited soldier talking to the Jarl about what had happened at the Watchtower, and just nodded along when he granted her a house in the city. She paid for the house to be furnished and listened to the Jarl as he told her a bit about the Greybeards and where to find them. She left the palace in a daze, with Anders trailing silently behind her.

They arrived at the house the Jarl had given her, Breezehome, and entered. They were quickly assaulted by a woman in armor, claiming to be Alessia's housecarl. "Greetings, my Thane! Is there anything I can do for you?"

Alessia stepped back, bumping into Anders. "Um...what? Why are you in my house?"

"I'm Lydia, and I'm here to take care of things while you are away. Or, I could come with you if you wish. As your housecarl, I am sworn to protect you."

Alessia stared at her. "I don't need your or anyone else's _protection_. Nor do I need someone to dust while I'm gone. You can go."

Lydia's mouth opened, and no sound came out at first. "But...My Thane," she said and was quickly interrupted by Alessia.

"I don't want someone in _my _house that I don't know. Thank you for being here, but unfortunately, I have no need of your services."

She felt Anders shift behind her and turned. He was trying hard not to laugh. She felt the laughter bubbling inside her, especially when she turned back to Lydia's astonished face. But the woman merely inclined her head and murmuring that she would be in Dragonsreach should Alessia change her mind, she left.

Alessia shook her head. "When I bought my house in Riften, they tried to give me a 'housecarl' too. A spy for the palace, if you ask me." she said, then drifted around the house taking in her surroundings. Here on the lower half of the building were many cupboards, a table and benches for eating and a hearth, which was already crackling from Lydia lighting it for their arrival.

"I hate spies," Anders admitted as he followed her around. "They stick their noses where they don't belong."

Alessia nodded. "The things that I do for the Guild...no one needs to know about," she said as she rounded a corner beneath the steps to the upper level. She clapped her hands excitedly. "An alchemist's table! Good!"

Anders peered at the table with interest. "Now that we're in front of one, I see you know about potion-making and need to ask you a couple of questions."

She smiled at Anders and nodded. "I told you, Mother was an alchemist. I was learning about it before she died. She taught me quite a bit, really."

Anders smiled. "So, where do you get ingredients to make potions to replenish your mana?"

Alessia laughed. "Wherever you find them! If you travel with me for long, you'll find that I tend to wander off when I see flowers to pick. And what is 'mana'? You mean 'magicka' right?"

"Magicka? Ha! That's a good name for it, I guess! Yes. You must have lyrium here then?" Anders asked.

Alessia's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure what lyrium is. We don't have anything by that name here. Is that what you use in Thedas for your magicka?"

Anders nodded. "Lyrium is an ore, the dwarves in Thedas mine it to make our lyrium potions. They replenish a mage's mana, but the templars also drink them to augment their powers to capture the mages." His voice trailed off, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Some of the herbs you use may use the properties of lyrium ore. There must be some under the ground. Mages can feel lyrium, and in my case, it kind of 'sings' to me. I can feel there is lyrium under the ground here."

"Dwarves? That's strange...one of the ingredients to make a potion to restore your magicka can be dwarven oil. We had 'dwarves' here at one point, the Dwemer. Hmmm," Alessia pondered as she pawed through the alchemy reagents in the room. She picked up a mushroom off of one of the shelves, pulled a few flowers and a grass pod out of her pack, and started to crush them in the mortar and pestle before turning back to Anders. "Anyway, there very well could be something like that here. Many of the things needed to create potions can only be found in certain places. You say it's an ore, so it may permeate the soil, enhancing those ingredients with lyrium."

"That makes a lot of sense," Anders replied. "I'm also happy to say that I really haven't felt my magicka drain that much since I got here. It replenishes a lot faster than it did in Thedas. So I think it's safe to say I won't be needing much to restore it." He paused for a bit, his brow furrowing in thought. "When we fought the dragon, for example, I felt it restore nearly immediately every time I cast a spell."

Alessia smiled as she ground the ingredients in the bowl. "Perhaps you are just stronger here, I don't know. I figured we should rest here overnight, then leave for this High Hrothgar place in the morning. I'll make you a few potions before we go, just in case." Content with the state of the ingredients in the bowl, she dumped them into a bottle with some water and hung it on the table, then dug through her pack for her flint. She shook her head and grinned. "I don't know why I'm looking for my fling when I have a mage," she chuckled. Pointing to the base of the bottle, she smiled at Anders. "Could you…?" He nodded and waggled his fingers, causing a flame to ignite under the bottle. Alessia's grin grew wider.

"I'm hungry," Anders admitted a little sheepishly. "Is there any chance we can head over to the inn for a meal?"

Alessia turned and looked around the dining and kitchen area. "We shouldn't have to. There's plenty here, if you can keep down my cooking."

"Yes, I saw that, but I wanted to be safe, and head over to the inn," he teased.

She smirked at him and made her way over to the hearth. "Har, har. I'm not _that_bad of a cook." She plucked some herbs from the strands hanging above the fireplace. "It won't kill you, anyway."

Anders chuckled. "I'll look around for a basin to heat some water in. I'd like to wash up, and I'm sure you would, too."

Alessia nodded fervently. "Yes, I would! I don't know how everyone around here can stand to be so _dirty_."

"Maybe the lyrium in the soil affects their sense of smell?" Anders commented over his shoulder, already rummaging through the objects stored in the cupboards. He headed up the creaky wooden stairs to the upper level of the house and Alessia could hear him moving about. He soon returned with a large metal tub. "Look what I found!"

Alessia turned from the hearth and sighed with pleasure. "Oh, thank the Nine! I was hoping after all I put into this place, there would be one!"

"The Nine?" Anders echoed, giving her a lopsided grin. "No, don't say anything. We'll have time to talk about religion later. I'll go first, since you are cooking, yes? And there are two rooms upstairs, by the way."

Alessia snorted and stirred the pot over the fire. "Well, maybe I won't have to sleep with my dagger under my pillow tonight!"

Anders smiled back as he busied himself preparing his bath. But he could feel the disappointment at her words nonetheless. Justice grumbled and Anders ignored him completely as he made his way up to the smaller bedroom for his bath, conscious of the fact that he was fast developing 'feelings' for his elven Dragonborn.

Alessia sighed as she listened to Anders lug the tub back upstairs. This man, who had literally fallen into her life, was fast becoming someone she very much cared about. She smiled to herself as she threw an onion into the pot. She knew her playful banter wouldn't throw him off...that much was certain.

…


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N from moosesaregreat: Hey, guys! Thank you to PheonRen, kogouma, scruffybunny, and KnightOfHolyLight for your reviews, and to all those who have faved and followed us! You guys are awesome! Both ac and I really, REALLY love to hear your feedback!**_

_**A special thank you to PheonRen for letting us know if we're making it…crossover-able? Hahaha, idk. I asked you to let us know if the cross between DA and Skyrim wasn't quite understandable, and you did! Thanks! Please, everyone, let us know if things aren't going as you think they should, things don't make sense, ANYTHING! We're easy…just not cheap. ;)**_

_**Bioware and Bethesda, blah blah blah. **_

Chapter 4

Alessia woke up, her hand automatically reaching for her dagger. She frowned into the darkness, trying to pinpoint the noise that had woken her up. A groan came from the bedroom across from hers, and her hand loosened from the hilt of the dagger hidden under her pillow. Sounds of a person thrashing and moaning had her up and moving to the next room. She slipped on her robe, and pushed the bits of her long, bright crimson braid floating about her face out of her eyes as she made her way quietly to where Anders was sleeping.

He lay crookedly across the bed, one arm flung over his head on the pillow. The moonlight filtering through a window caught his long blonde hair and made it look silvery golden. He looked younger when he was asleep, and Alessia found herself daydreaming about kissing his sensuous lips, but another moan brought her back to reality with a start. She looked down and saw that he was covered in sweat.

"Can't see…too dark! Whispering, they're whispering!" He moaned and thrashed again, his arms flailing briefly.

She put a hand on his naked chest to wake him, and felt herself weakening. He was hard as a rock and she saw that while he was not as big as a warrior, he did have well defined muscles in his arms and chest. Her eyes travelled down and reached his belly button. Flushing, she tore her eyes away, silently chiding herself.

"Anders," she whispered as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Anders, wake up. You're having a nightmare."

He moaned again. "Whispers…the whispers…need light!"

Alessia shook him gently, and spoke louder. "Anders, wake up! It's just a bad dream!"

The mage's eyes flew open, and he stared into her ice-blue eyes for a few moments, then blinked and gave a sigh of relief.

"What? Oh…sorry," he mumbled.

"Are you all right?"

He shut his eyes for a minute, and Alessia thought he had gone back to sleep.

"I'm – fine," he finally said in a strangled voice. "It's just a nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it? That helps, or so my mother used to say…" Alessia offered in a soft voice, as she brushed the damp hair from his forehead with cool fingertips.

He shook his head and opened his eyes. He had a guarded look in his eyes that she knew too well.

"No. It's…all right. Go back to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow," he said quickly and turned over, covering himself completely with the sheets.

Alessia frowned. Whatever he was keeping from her, it had to be bad to give him those nightmares.

"…All right," she replied quietly, rising from the bed to go back to her own. "Call me if you need anything. Good night."

A few moments later, as she was leaving the room, his voice made her pause.

"Good night, Alessia. And thank you."

…

They had risen very early, and managed to make the trip quickly. As they entered Ivarstead, the village at the base of the mountain, they passed the tavern. They stopped briefly to leave their horses at the stable, where there were some people gossiping at the entrance.

"...there hasn't been a Dragonborn seen in the land for centuries! Not since Talos himself walked the 7,000 steps to High Hrothgar!"

"Aye. We are living the prophecy..."

Anders smiled to himself and shook his head.

"What?" Alessia asked, handing the stable boy their horses' reins and a septim.

"Oh, I'm just thinking. I do have a few questions, if you don't mind," he said, smiling warmly at her.

Alessia shrugged. "Go ahead," she replied as she gazed up the mountain in front of them, its peak hidden by clouds. "I think we have plenty of time."

"Who is this Talos they mention?" Anders asked as they exited the small village. Alessia had known exactly where to find the place, and had told Anders that she had run an errand for the court mage of Riften here.

"Talos is one of the Nine Divines, or the Eight and One, depending on who you talk to. The Divines are who we worship here. Talos was once a man, Emperor Tiber Septim, before he ascended to godhood. Some say the Eight and One because they don't consider him a god, since he was once a man. Don't say that to a Nord though, he'll probably punch you."

"Ah. We believe in one god back in Thedas, the Maker, but his bride also ascended to the Golden City, and became holy and revered. Her name was Andraste. So I can understand that pretty well, as Andraste was a human being before she was revered." He nodded and then his brow furrowed. "Eight gods? Why so many?"

Alessia chuckled. "They all represent different things. Dibella is the goddess of beauty, worshiped by artists and bards. Kynareth, called Kyne by the Nords, is the goddess of nature, of the air and sky, worshipped by travelers. Not everyone worships the Nine here. There are other gods as well, called the Daedric princes. They're mostly worshipped in secret, their worshippers viewed more as cultists than anything. Some are bad, though some aren't."

"'Bad' as in 'evil' or 'bad' as in 'they fail to do anything right'?" he joked.

"I think they are viewed as bad because they enjoy meddling in the lives of mortals. The Nine are just...there I guess, though I can't deny their existence. Pray at one of their altars,you're your wounds are healed. If you're poisoned, it's remedied. The Daedra seem to like playing mean jokes, I guess…some of them, anyway. Meridia hates the undead. Nocturnal is the Night Mistress. They're not all bad."

"Well, that's a lot of gods to choose from. Frankly, I'd never remember who represents what," he grinned. "Are we really going to climb 7,000 steps?"

By now, they had reached the bridge leading to the base of the mountain, and had overheard two men talking as they passed. Alessia slowed as she caught a bit of the conversation and interrupted. "Excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear. You take supplies up to the Greybeards?"

The men turned to them, and the older man spoke. "Yep. Name's Klimmek. I take them food and whatnot. They don't get out much, if you catch my meaning."

"What do you get in return?" Alessia asked.

"Nothin' really. Got an understanding with them. I don't think I should charge for bringing some dried meat now and then. But, my legs ain't what they used to be."

Alessia smiled. "Well, we're making the trip, so I could take your goods if you'd like."

The man smiled widely. "Why, that would be great! All you need to do is put them in the chest at the top. There's bound to be some wolves, but that's nothin' the likes of you can't handle. Them steps are icy up top though, so be careful." He handed Alessia a woven bag, and she put it in her pack. With another word of thanks from Klimmek, they were off again.

They crossed the bridge, went up a few steps and reached a marker. It was made of stone, with symbols down the sides and a dragon's head etched into the stone. Above the dragon was a small plaque. Alessia stepped forward and read it aloud. "Before the birth of men, the dragons ruled all of word was the Voice, and they spoke only for True Needs. For the Voice could blot out the sky and flood the land." She turned back to Anders. "Well, that doesn't sound ominous at all."

"In Thedas, dragons are considered evil. The old gods are dragons. They were worshipped by the Magisters in the Tevinter Imperium. They were cast from the Golden City where the Maker is, and sent back to Thedas as hideous beings, becoming the first darkspawn. We have an order that defends people from the darkspawn called the Grey Wardens." Anders stopped and looked at her, his brow furrowing in thought. He shook his head and it seemed to Alessia that he had made a decision. "I...I have to tell you something. I'm a Grey Warden."

Alessia looked at him for a moment, her gray-blue eyes softening. "Does that have anything to do with your nightmare?"

Anders's face fell, and he shook his head. "I - I don't know. I can't see them, but they whisper. It's too dark. There are no darkspawn here. I hadn't considered what this means to me...I -" Anders swallowed, struggling to control himself. "I want to tell you something else. It's important. Could we stop for a moment?"

Alessia turned from climbing the steps and saw the look of self-loathing on his face. "Of course," she replied, stepping closer to him. "What's wrong?"

"Well, in order to become a Grey Warden, we have to drink the darkspawn blood. It's tainted and spreads corruption. Those of us who survive the tainted blood master their taint, and thus are able to fight and kill them. We can sense darkspawn, and we are the only ones that can kill the dragons, which are the archdemons that command a horde of darkspawn. This tainted blood gives you abilities, but it also poisons you slowly. Grey Wardens have around thirty years to live, give or take, from the moment they swallow the blood at their Joining, which is what the ceremony is called."

Alessia's heart broke for him just thinking that this wonderful man would die long before his time, just for helping others. "Anders..." she said softly. "What...happens then?"

"Well, it isn't like we die instantly, we...turn. Turn into...darkspawn ghouls. This is why the older Grey Wardens head underground to the dwarven city of Orzammar and into the Deep Roads where the darkspawn live. To fight them and die fighting...before they turn into ghouls, that is. I don't know what will happen now that I'm here. Besides, I think it won't happen in thirty years anyway...um...I have special...'circumstances' that protect me. But that's a story for another time, yes?"

Alessia took his hand in hers and squeezed it, comforting him. "Thank you for telling me. Maybe, you being here...I don't know, maybe we can find something to help you."

Anders smiled warmly at her, his gaze loving and kind. "You've already helped me. More than you'll ever know." He squeezed her hand back, and when Alessia tried to let go, he did not let her hand go. He stepped closer, his eyes burning into hers. "I...have come to c-"

At that moment, a wolf came rushing towards them, snarling and baring its fangs. Anders quickly pushed Alessia behind him as he unsheathed his staff and cast a Winter's Grasp spell at it, freezing it completely for a few minutes. Alessia stepped from behind Anders, brandishing her sword, and swiftly decapitated it. Shaking her head, she chuckled as she sheathed her sword on her back. "For future reference, I can't take its pelt if its frozen." She turned and winked at Anders, then took off up the steps.

Anders followed closely, wary of his surroundings. His heart was beating, but he couldn't tell if it was from the wolf attack or from the fact that he was about to tell Alessia that he cared for her, and maybe even kiss her, when the attack had happened.

_I cannot believe you are considering this. Must we go through this again?_

Anders ignored Justice and kept his eyes on Alessia, and the icy steps. They rounded a corner and found another marker, with a man standing in front of it, and passed him. They continued up the steps, climbing the side of the mountain. As they rounded another corner, Alessia heard a hissing noise and saw a shiny figure slithering about in the air around the next turn. She held up her hand to stop Anders and pulled out her bow. Luckily, it hadn't seen them yet.

"Anders, do you see that?" she asked as she pointed ahead of them with the arrow she pulled from her quiver.

"It looks like it's made of ice! I guess a fire spell would be good in this case?"

Alessia nodded. "Get ready to hit it hard with something 'flamey' after my arrow hits it." She nocked her arrow and pulled it back, the fletching just next to her chin.

"Destructive forces of nature coming right up!" Anders said, then winked at her.

She let her arrow fly, and it hit the ice wraith. Anders quickly flung a fireball at it, which proved too much for the creature. It melted, turning into shards of ice as it hit the ground. Alessia turned to Anders as she slung her bow onto her back. "Yay, teamwork!" she exclaimed, and smiled.

Anders chuckled as he sheathed his staff behind his back. "We work well together, don't we?"

Her smile turned into a cheeky grin. "That we do!" She motioned Anders to follow her, and she climbed the remaining steps to the remnants of the wraith. She pulled out her dagger and broke the pieces apart, then put a few chunks into a vial she pulled from her pack. She put the vial and dagger away, then dug in the remnants some more, pulling out a few palm length teeth. She turned and showed them to Anders before pocketing them. "And these are why we keep ice wraiths _away_from us."

"Good to know," Anders murmured, his eyes full of admiration for her. Alessia smiled back, her eyes warm, but she turned back to the path, her eyes squinting as she looked up to the sky.

"We'd better hurry. I don't want to make the climb at night."

…

The climb was indeed treacherous as Klimmek had warned them. The higher they went, the windier it became. It blew previously fallen snow into their faces over the side of the peak, and made the steps almost pure ice. They ignored the markers as they passed them, racing the sun to get to the peak by nightfall.

Anders stopped and yelled above the wind. "I totally forgot! I have a spell that will help!"

He focused, then both Alessia and himself were suddenly encased in a protective shield against the elements. The wind and snow were no longer a problem. Alessia clapped her hands gleefully and turned to Anders, her blue eyes shining. Without a second thought, she flung her arms around him, giving him a hug.

"You know what?" she asked as she pulled back, looking up into his eyes. "I think I might keep you!"

"I think you're stuck with me, anyway," Anders said, giving her a lopsided smile. He held her closely, feeling her warmth. "I don't want to lose you either..."

Alessia pulled back, her eyes looking deeply into his. "Anders..." she whispered. "I -"

He put a finger to her lips, shushing her gently. "It's all right. Everything is all right. We should continue the climb, yes? We can talk about this later."

She nodded and pulled away reluctantly, but took his hand in hers as they continued up the mountain. The climb was much easier now that the wind wasn't trying to push them back every step, and they passed a few more markers before hearing a roar from the cliff above them. Alessia dropped Anders's hand and pointed, pulling out her sword and dagger. "Frost troll. More fire, please!"

Anders nodded as he caught a glimpse of the creature ahead. He cast a fireball, and the flames enveloped the troll, making it roar in pain. "Stand back!" He ordered as he lifted his hands to the air above his head, and cast a firestorm where the frost troll stood. Alessia obediently steppe behind him, though she was itching to use her blades. The balls of fire fell and exploded on the troll and all around him, and it roared again as it jerked around, trying to find a spot where it would not burn. Anders smiled as the troll fell on its knees, its cry now turning into an agonizing whine. The troll fell face down, burned to a crisp.

Alessia stuck her lower lip out as she stepped back in front of Anders and sheathed her blade. "You're mean," she pouted. "I like killing things."

"Oh, I'm aware, my lady," Anders twinkled. "I'll let you deliver the final blow on the next one, deal?"

Alessia grinned. "You'd better."

…

The path ahead of them was beginning to grow darker as they made another turn, and a castle rose in the distance behind a veil of blowing snow. Just beyond them was another marker, but this one had a statue atop it. As they drew nearer, Alessia realized that it was a statue of Talos, and walked up to read the plaque beneath it. "For years all silent, the Greybeards spoke one name. Tiber Septim, stripling then, was summoned to Hrothgar. They blessed and named him Dovahkiin." Alessia turned to Anders. "You know, this is daunting enough without a _god_being one too."

Anders smiled. "I already _knew _you were a goddess," he teased, the fire in his eyes making Alessia blush for a few moments. "You shouldn't worry about being this Dovahkiin," he said in a soothing voice. "If you have to save the world or something, I'll gladly save it with you at your side. If you let me..."

Alessia rolled her eyes and smiled. "I suppose if I have to save the world, you may as well come along."

"I can see the chest at the base of the stairs from here. Let's put the supplies in it and hurry inside. It's a bit too cold, even if we are inside an arcane shield."

A wicked grin came to Alessia's face. "If you insist. And here I was going to warm you up!" she said, then turned and continued up the path.

Anders shook his head, as he felt the fire coursing through his veins. "I hope there's water in this place. I need a cold bath," he muttered as he followed her.

Alessia heard Anders mutter, and leaned over, trailing her hand on the ground, then continued walking. They neared the last plaque, and she turned, throwing a snowball at Anders. "Better?" she laughed.

Anders sputtered as he wiped the snow off his face. "Why you little minx!" He cried, a wide grin on his face. He scooped up some snow and threw it on her, but Alessia dodged the snowball easily.

"All right. I'll get you later," Anders shrugged, stepping closer to the stairs. The last marker came to view and it was Anders who read it aloud this time. "The Voice is worship. Follow the Inner Path. Speak only in True Need."

Alessia looked at Anders, then turned to the castle now looming above them. "I'm..." she paused and gazed down at her hands. "I'm scared, Anders."

"I'm here. We'll get through this together," Anders said softly, pulling her into a warm hug.

Alessia leaned into him, his strength seeping into her, and put her head on his chest. "Thank you."

"We could turn away, too, if you really want to. You don't have to do this," he murmured into her hair, her sweet scent enveloping him.

Alessia took a deep breath and pulled back, but didn't meet his eyes. "Yes, I do. I've been selfish long enough. If I'm meant to do this, then I must. For everyone."

Anders felt the love and the admiration for her swelling in his heart until he thought it would surely burst. He nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. "Then I'm with you. Whatever you choose."

Alessia smiled up at him, her icy eyes locking onto his warm brown ones. "Thank you, again. I'm glad you're here."

"Not as much as I am," Anders smiled back.

She took another deep breath and stepped out of his embrace. "It's now or never," she said. She walked over to the chest in front of the castle, and put Klimmek's supplies into it, then ascended the steps. She stopped just short of the door and debated putting up her hood. She lifted her hands to raise her hood over her elven ears, but Anders reached out, staying her hand.

Shaking his head, Anders gave her a smile. "You should go to them as you are. No disguises," he said quietly.

Alessia's hands fell to her sides and she nodded. "You're right. I don't think they care who I am or where I've come from." She stood still for a moment, then pushed open the heavy wooden door.

A man dressed in a dark gray cloak approached her, stopping a few feet away from her.

"So, a Dragonborn appears at this moment in the turning of the age," he said, his blue eyes glancing at Anders for a few seconds, then turning back to her.

"I'm here because you summoned me," Alessia said, holding her head high.

The old man stared at her for a moment, seeming to see within her being, then nodded. "We will see if you truly have the gift. Show us, Dragonborn. Let us have a taste of your Voice."

Alessia hesitated, looking confused, but also feeling afraid. She didn't want to hurt anyone.

It was as if the old man read her thoughts. "Do not be afraid. Your shout will not harm us."

She opened her mouth, trying to keep the sound from coming on too strongly, but she shouted without even realizing and the Greybeard was taken aback, pushed back slightly by her shout.

"FUS!"

"Again," he said simply, stepping out of the line of fire.

"FUS!" A vase across the room fell over and shattered.

"Once more," he asked.

"FUS!" Her shout knocked over another vase and one of the Greybeards, who happened to be walking across the room. Alessia looked back at Anders, who gave her an encouraging smile. Comforted by him, she stole his strength again, and looked back at the old man with a defiant grin.

"Welcome, Dragonborn," the old man smiled. "…We have been expecting you."

…


	5. Chapter 5

_**First of all, I'd like to thank KnightOfHolyLight, Golden Naginata, Lisa, koguma and PheonRen for their reviews and feedback! :D **_

_**As you all know, this is about Anders and the Dovahkiin, and it will be a different kind of romance. Before you all protest (or swoon) over this chapter, I would like to explain that their relationship will not be a bed of roses and will go through a lot! There is a reason they are together now (it has a lot to do with the overall plot, which I cannot reveal.) If Anders seems different, it's because he is in a place where there are no templars and where mages are not persecuted or abused by templars. These things were the main source of his anger, which turned Justice into Vengeance…and now they are GONE! Keep this in mind! :D **_

_**As to Justice, there is also a reason why he seems so mellow (also part of the overall plot). This won't always be the case. I would like to point out that the soil of Nirn is completely infused with lyrium (as we've already seen in previous chapters), and ask you all to ponder on what this could mean for Justice. **_

_**This story is not as simple as it seems, neither is their love, or the way they will deal with things. Anders still doesn't know about the Civil War or a lot of things that are happening in Nirn. He hasn't even been to the College of Winterhold. This whole fic is a rollercoaster ride with lots of twists and turns and we hope you will like it! :D **_

_**And our disclaimer, of course: "Bethesda and Bioware own! :D **_

Chapter 5

The Greybeards had taught her a new word of power, as they called it, and then had asked her to retrieve the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller. When pressed, Arngeir had told her all about the old hero, then had offered them beds to rest for the night. Alessia had thanked him and even managed a smile when Anders asked for a tub to wash. Arngeir had smiled at Anders and showed him where they bathed.

Alessia was quiet during their dinner, and had fallen asleep immediately after, even though she was still visibly shaken from her training. It came as no surprise to her when Anders had awakened her during the night with his thrashing and moaning, and she woke him as she had done before. He mumbled an apology and turned his back to her, falling asleep again.

When they set out, it was still dark and the Greybeards were nowhere to be seen, but she could hear their voices in the courtyard. Their walk down the mountainside was quicker and they were not attacked by anything on the way. Alessia quickly paid the sable boy in Ivarstead for taking care of their horses and mounted, waiting for Anders to do the same.

"We'll be heading to Riften," she said, her voice wistful and soft at the same time.

"Aren't we going to retrieve the horn?" Anders's right eyebrow flew up, his eyes widening slightly.

"I – I have things to take care of," she said in a voice so low, he had to lean towards her in order to catch it above the whinnies of their horses. He did not question her decision, however, and when she nudged her horse into a gallop, he did so as well.

They continued to ride and did not stop until they arrived at Riften. Alessia had spoken very little throughout the trip. Anders could see that she was having trouble coming to terms with what she had learned at High Hrothgar, and left her to her introspection. It was dark now, and Alessia's eyes darted around as she handed the stable boy their horses. She opened the gates and walked in, her eyes narrowing. Why was she getting the feeling that something was wrong?

"Anders, something is...off," she whispered, peering down the pathways leading behind the buildings and putting a hand to her dagger.

Anders did not say a word, but he felt something, too. He didn't want to worry Alessia more. "I'm right behind you," he whispered, reaching for his staff which was tied to his back. At that moment, a dark figure rushed towards Alessia while a couple of hounds surrounded Anders.

Alessia whipped out her dagger in time to block the figure's sword and immediately pulled her own from her back. She side stepped, her dagger scraping along the figure's sword. She started to swing her sword, but immediately felt dizzy and it fell from her hand. The dark figure stepped towards her, gnashing its teeth as her knees gave out and she fell to the ground.

Anders gave a yell when he saw Alessia fall, and flung a paralysis spell at the two hounds and a winter's grasp spell on the thing that was attacking Alessia and panicked. The attacking stranger was now bending over, caressing her neck and when Anders saw his fangs, Justice took over. The fiend was obviously not affected by his winter's grasp spell, but Anders was willing to bet that he didn't stand a chance against Justice.

"Stop!" Justice's voice bellowed out. "You will not harm her!"

The red-eyed demony person turned to glare and hiss at Anders, who by now was glowing blue. Without even thinking, he cast a fireball spell on the creature, which began to howl loudly. The Riften guards appeared and joined the fray.

Alessia gasped and turned over, getting up to her knees unsteadily. The guards were chopping at the paralyzed hounds, and the figure that attacked her was now on the ground close to her, smoke rising from the charred corpse. Just beyond it stood Anders, glowing brightly through cracks in his skin.

Alessia had seen him like this before, but never like this. This time, his eyes were glowing a bright blue and he continue to bellow, trying to kill the hounds. It seemed that he had lost total control over himself.

She rose slowly and stumbled over to him, putting her hand on his arm.  
"Anders...what-what's going on?" The two hounds were dead, and so was the vampire, but Anders was still glowing.

"They will _not_touch you!" Anders bellowed again in that strange voice.

Confused, Alessia moved to stand in front of Anders. "They're all dead, Anders. I'm alright," she said in a soothing voice.

The glow slowly dimmed and Anders eyes lost the blue glow. He blinked, stepping backwards, a look of concern and anguish as he fixed his eyes on her.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked, his voice laden with despair.

"No, but you certainly hurt them," Alessia replied, even more confused by the look on his face. By now, the guards had left and they were alone. "Why do you seem...upset by this? Isn't this what mages do in Thedas?"

Anders shook his head. "It's...complicated. But I can only answer that mages do _not_do this in Thedas." He looked crestfallen, and terribly guilty which surprised Alessia even more. "What was that...thing? It had fangs!"

"That _thing_would be a vampire," she replied, kneeling by its body and scraping some of its now ashen remains into a vial. "They shouldn't be here. You usually only find them in caves with necromancers and such. They only come out at night, are burned by the sun and feed off of the blood of mortals. That's what they were like in Cyrodiil anyway. I've never seen one here."

"They drink our blood?" Anders asked, his voice rising an octave, his face a mask of disgust.

"Yes, they do. They are immortal and need our blood to continue," she said. She dug around in her pack and pulled out a potion. "Also, it's easy to contract vampirism," she said as she drank the potion. "It's a disease, and I sure don't want it."

"It bit you, didn't it? And it was...sapping into your life force. I...I could feel that!" Anders exclaimed, still visibly shaken by the whole ordeal.

Alessia's hand went to her neck. "It...may have. They put you under a spell first. They don't do so well with fire, as you figured out. If only I knew how to enchant weapons, I'd do so for my dagger."

"Back in Thedas, mages can't enchant weapons either. As a matter of fact, no one can, unless they are a Tranquil mage," Anders said in a low voice, his eyes suddenly distant.

Alessia knew this expression well now, but her curiosity was piqued. "Will you tell me what that is? You don't seem happy about it."

Anders frowned, and his skin started to crack again. "They turn mages into Tranquil. They take away their emotions, their feelings. What is left is a half-alive person, who does not think or act for himself." The blue light was shimmering, as Alessia watched him struggle to control himself.

"Hey," she said, rubbing her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry I asked, ok? I can see that there are many things you don't want to talk about. I won't press you again."

Anders got a grip on himself and shook his head. "I'm sorry. My anger, it...affects me deeply. I will tell you, but not right now. I - I need to relax, and try not to get angry or too emotional about things, that's all..."

Alessia smiled and took his hand. "I've got something new for you, it will take your mind off things."

She led Anders away from the gates, past a few rickety houses along the canal. She ducked left, towards the Temple of Mara, but detoured to the right after the stone barrier separating the temple from the market and walked through the graveyard. She plucked a few purple flowers here and there as she walked, stashing them in her satchel, then entered into what seemed to be a small mausoleum. Turning to Anders, she searched his warm honey-colored eyes for a moment. He cocked an eyebrow at her. After a moment of thought, she nodded to herself, then turned and pressed a symbol on the stone casket dominating the small room. It slid back, revealing a short staircase and a dark room with a boarded over hole at the end. She smiled at Anders's incredulousness, then lifted the boards and descended into the Cistern of the Thieves Guild.

Stepping down the wooden ladder, she emerged into the Cistern. People milled about here and there, and upon seeing her, raised their voice or an arm in greeting. Alessia turned to Anders after he descended as well. "This is the Thieves Guild. Part of it, anyway. You're with me, so they'll treat you well." All of the people around them wore brown leather armor, much different from her own, and one man sauntered up to her and asked about her archery training. She smiled slightly, promising to train with him another time, then crossed the brick path to the other side of the Cistern.

The crosswalks of the Cistern centered over a large pool of water. She led Anders past the crosswalk where there was a wall of shelves with miscellaneous trinkets that Alessia had collected, a desk, and a chest. She knelt and took the coins that were in the chest, then stood and found herself face to face with the large red-headed man who Anders recognized from his short time in Riften before.

Anders stiffened slightly. The man was looking at her with open admiration and something like affection. He felt a pang of jealousy start at the bottom of his stomach and scowled.

Alessia cleared her throat and vaguely asked about the Guild's work. Brynjolf immediately knew that something wasn't right from the tone of her voice. "What's wrong, lass?" he asked.

She smirked at him. "Nothing, really. Preoccupied, I guess," she replied, looking at the ground.

"That's not the Alessia that _I_know," he responded. "The Alessia I know would either sneak around the problem or stab it." Brynjolf hooked an arm around her shoulders and led her away from Anders towards a door, giving Anders a narrow-eyed glare over the top of Alessia's head.

He stopped just in front of the vault and turned her towards him, a knuckle pushing her chin up to meet his gaze. "What's wrong?"

Alessia looked him in the eye for a moment, then turned her gaze to the floor again. "What do you know of the Dragonborn?" she asked, a thread of fear in her voice.

"The Dragonborn will save the Nords at the time of our direst need," he replied thoughtfully, then saw the forlorn look on her face. Knowledge immediately bloomed in his head. "There are reports of dragons, and you've been gone for a while," he said, trying to prompt her to confess what his bright mind already knew to be true.

Alessia sighed and shook her head. "The Greybeards think that I'm Dovahkiin. I helped to save Whiterun from a dragon, its soul got sucked into me, I trained with the Greybeards yesterday…" Her train of thought trailed off, and she sat down hard in the chair behind her.

Brynjolf nodded and looked down at her. The savior of the world seemed so tiny physically, curled up in that chair, but he knew that her words had to be true. He knew her to be larger than life, both in what she did and how she acted, and knew that this fate was something that she would conquer, as she had with the Guild. He loved this half-elf like a daughter after all they'd been through together, and knew very well that she needed confidence. "So what do you need to do for them?" he asked gently.

Alessia pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed again. "Retrieve the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller."

In his head, he huffed in dismay, but outwardly, Brynjolf snickered and knelt down before her. "Be sneaky as I know you are, and use Subterfuge if the draugrs get to be too much."

Alessia looked over at Anders, who was rummaging through the treasures that she had found for Delvin on the shelves down the hall. Being able to use Subterfuge was one of the gifts bestowed upon the Nightingales from their mistress, Nocturnal. Something she could never tell Anders about. "He doesn't know about that."

"I didn't think he did, lass. Nor should he," Brynjolf replied, then stood and drew her up into a hug. The big Nord completely engulfed Alessia. He leaned back and tilted her chin up again. "You will do what needs done. No one will question that."

She clasped her hands behind his back, completing the embrace. "You may not, but others will," she said as she shook her head against his broad chest. "I doubt the majority of Nords will like a bastard elf being their savior."

Brynjolf chuckled. "Possibly. But you will show them that you mean business, as always. Remember what I thought of you when you entered the Guild?"

Alessia threw her head back and laughed, the first time she'd _really _laughed all day. "Yes - a 'piddley' thief who needed a test of petty pickpocketing to be accepted into the Guild." She patted his cheek and smiled up at him. "Little did you know what I would become then, and what I could become now."

Brynjolf smiled radiantly, knowing that with her ego properly stoked, Alessia would persevere. "Exactly my point, lass."

Alessia turned to look at Anders, disengaging herself from Brynjolf's arms. He was now staring at them, but she couldn't see if something was bothering him or if he was just tired. She continued to talk to Brynjolf for a few minutes, discussing how things were going with Vex and Delvin's schemes. With one last clasp of hands, she bade him goodbye.

Alessia walked over to where Anders was standing. "Alright, everything is good with the Guild and Brynjolf will stand in for me while I'm gone. Let's go. I've got a home here. We can stay overnight and head to Ustengrav in the morning."

Anders nodded curtly at her, and bowed his head as he followed her out of the Cistern.

Alessia led him back out of the graveyard and around the canals, past the inn. She unlocked the door of a shabby house on the edge of town and said, "Home sweet home," then waved him inside. "Are you hungry?" she asked, closing the door behind them.

"Not terribly, no," Anders replied as his eyes gazed around their surroundings. Someone had started a fire in the fireplace, and the whole place looked cozy.

Alessia snickered. "Niruin probably came and lit it when he saw me. He likes to try to gain favor," she said as she led Anders into her home.

"He has the key to the house, then? Who else has a key to your home? Brynjolf, I bet," Anders practically snarled.

Alessia raised an eyebrow at his sudden moodiness. "We're thieves. He picked the lock."

Ah, yes. Well, I don't have to tell you how tired I am. You probably are as well. I can settle for some bread and cheese, but would like to wash up first, if it's all right with you," Anders muttered.

Alessia chuckled and gestured him to follow her down the steps past the bedroom. "There's a bedroom down here," she said. At the bottom of the steps was a room containing an alchemy table and shelves upon shelves of ingredients. She pointed to one of the adjacent rooms. "Right in there is the bedroom. There should be a tub. It's kind of my storage space at the moment, but it's yours now. Also, in the other room is an enchanting table if you want to try to figure it out. I sure can't."

A rusty smile appeared on Anders's face. "You mean the only tub in the house is in my room?" He ended the question with a snicker, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Hmmm..."

Alessia blushed to the points of her ears. "Ummm...I'm not dirty," she said, her icy-blue eyes stealing a glance at his. He was grinning widely now, his brown eyes sparkling. "I'll let you use the tub, and concentrate on your alchemy and enchanting tables. I promise not to peek!"

An evil grin took over her face. "I never said you couldn't!" She winked, then turned and went up the stairs.

Anders watched her go wistfully. He got busy with the tub, and conjured some ice inside, which he promptly melted. Then he took off his feathered-pauldroned coat and leather breeches and smalls, sinking into the warm water with an audible gasp of pleasure. He willed his mind to go blank and rest, then washed himself and got up out of the tub, heading to a shelf with some towels on it. After drying himself, he put his leather breeches back on, and his white tunic, which he saw had to be washed. Unfortunately, he had nothing else to wear, and made a mental note of going to the market to buy himself another shirt the following morning. He would just have to ask Alessia for a loan.

He opened the door and almost stumbled over a pile of folded clothes in front of the door. Bending down, he discovered several shirts and two pairs of breeches. One of them was leather and the other was made out of a cotton material. He smiled and went back into his room, then changed quickly. When he was done, he hurried up the stairs, his eyes glancing around the place. Alessia was already sitting at the table, eating.

She looked up from her meal and grinned. "I figured you'd need some clothes. The dressers were full when I bought the place, and I'm the only one that's ever here so they're yours now."

"Thanks! I really should wash the shirt that I was wearing, but the smell was awful. I think I'll just throw it away," Anders said, his nose wrinkling slightly in disgust. He sat down and looked at his plate full of vegetables and some kind of meat. "This smells really good. What is it?"

"Umm...well, the only thing on hand was goat," she winced. "It's really not that bad! I could make you eat dog instead, if you like. People love it here."

"No, thanks! I'll stick with goat, then," he said wincing slightly. "I hope they don't eat cats here!"

Alessia chuckled. "I doubt the Khajiit would like that very much. Although..." she paused, looking up for his reaction. "We have big mountain cats here called sabre cats, and I use their eyeballs for health potions."

"What a perfect theme for dinner," Anders remarked as he uncorked the bottle of wine that was on the middle of the table. "Wine?" He asked with a smile.

"After the last few days, I think I definitely need it!" she laughed and held out her cup.

Anders poured, his smile deepening when Alessia drained the whole cup and held it out for more. "I'd drink it a bit more slowly if I were you. Wine is made for tasting. It is meant to be drunk slowly."

Alessia snorted, her cheeks already rosy from the wine. "You should talk to Maven. She owns the meadery here. 'My mead is the best in all of Skyrim! No one can make it better!' She's one of the worst people I've ever met," she snorted again. "Hagraven."

"Hagraven?" Anders echoed, looking slightly puzzled. He was still sipping absentmindedly on his first cup.

"I've never seen one yet, but supposedly they're half human, half raven WITCHES!" she laughed. "But, I use their feathers and claws in potions so they're not impossible to kill."

"Hmmm..." Anders mused. "They seem like charming creatures," he joked.

Alessia finished her cup of wine and set it aside in favor of a bottle of mead. "From Maven's brewery," she said and offered the bottle to Anders to taste.

"Ok, but it's your funeral," Anders smiled as he took a sip, then passed the bottle back to Alessia who dissolved into a fit of giggles.

"Not. Going. To. Die," Alessia shook her head. "Besides, funerals here are so...stoic! Build a pyre and burn them! The weddings are boring too. That graveyard we went through? That's part of the temple of Mara. She's the lovey-dovey goddess," she said, and took a swig of mead. "They're boring here. Don't marry for love, they marry for _necessity_." She snorted. "Love is better."

"I'm sure you have men lining up to take you to the Temple, then," Anders said, taking the bottle of mead away from her and drinking some. "I see they just dote on you. Saw that today, as a matter of fact. You could have told me about Brynjolf, you know. And this conversation is over. I'm tired. Good night." He pushed back his chair, and made his way to the stairs.

Alessia sighed and thumped her head on the table. "Gods damn it all!" So this was what was wrong with him. He was jealous of Brynjolf! Well, that had to be fixed. And soon.

…

Anders fell asleep almost immediately, but was woken up by the sound of rhythmic scraping over smooth stone. He sat up in bed, trying to identify the sound, but found out he could not, so he put on his smalls and breeches and opened his door. Alessia stood in front of the alchemy table preparing potions, no doubt. His eyes widened as he realized she was wearing nothing but a long shirt that only fell to mid-thigh. Her long braid was undone, her bright red hair falling in waves almost to her waist. "Maker!" He hissed and shook his head.

Unfazed by his speaking and her half-nudity, Alessia turned to face him. The baggy shirt's laces were undone. "I couldn't sleep after you left," she said.

"So you want to keep me awake?" he asked, frowning. His eyes traveled down her body, and he immediately felt aroused. Shaking his head, he looked away, only to discover he didn't have a shirt on. "Maker!" He sighed this time as he struggled to get a grip on himself.

Alessia frowned as well. "I just needed to do something...I'm sorry I disturbed you," she replied softly and turned to leave. She sighed and faced him again. "I-I just want to tell you...you have nothing to worry about. There are certain things lacking in my life, which you already know, and Brynjolf fulfills that. We love each other, yes…but not as you think. He is like a father to me," she said, and again turned to go up the steps.

"In that case, I've been a fool," Anders murmured. "I'm sorry I was so short with you during dinner. I - I don't want to hurt your feelings. I don't want to hurt you, I guess," Anders said in a quiet voice.

Alessia turned around, a questioning look on her face. "You've done nothing to hurt me, and I don't think you would."

Anders smiled at her keeping his eyes off her lovely figure. "We aren't in Thedas, after all. I keep forgetting. Mages are treated like people here, aren't they? They are free to love, to marry, to have families..."

She stepped closer to him as she answered. "Of course they are. I'm sorry that it's that way where you're from, but here, anyone can do anything that they want to. And you've been nothing but kind to me. You even saved my life."

Anders felt the heat emanating for her body and shut Justice out. He was in a place where mages could have relationships, where mages could love and not worry about the templars. There weren't any templars here. He felt the joy shooting throughout his body and relaxed. Stepping closer to Alessia, he took her in his arms. "I could never let any harm come to you," he murmured, his warm eyes fixed on her icy-blue ones. "I care about you too much."

Alessia smiled and lifted her hand to caress his cheek. "It's been so short of a time, but...I've come to care about you too."

Anders bent his head down, his lips inching closer to hers. "I know," he whispered. Then, he kissed her.

Alessia sighed and wrapped her arms around him, one hand in his hair. She opened her lips slightly and Anders's kiss deepened as his tongue found hers. His grip on her tightened slightly, and his hands ran along her back.

A million years later, they came up for breath, panting. "Alessia, I have so much to tell you. I -"

She pressed a finger to his lips, shaking her head. "Take me upstairs, Anders," she said in a soft voice.

He gave a half-growl, half-moan and took her in his arms, carrying her up the stairs, while his lips found hers again. Pausing only to lay her on the huge bed, he bent down and captured her lips again, while his hands roamed over her oversized shirt.

Alessia dug her hands into his silky blonde hair, and moaned throatily. Anders hummed into her neck and trailed kisses down to the valley between her breasts, he parted her tunic and his gaze traveled over her two perfect breasts as he bent his head his hands massaging them, while his lips suckled on one nipple. He paused when he found a scar just under her left breast.

Alessia looked down at her chest and realized what he was looking at. She gently pushed him aside, sat up, and removed her tunic, baring herself to him. "The arrow wound is from something that actually saved my life," she remarked, then pointed to a jagged line across her belly. "That is from the previous Guildmaster...I killed him."

"I was about to ask if he was alive," Anders whispered. "For if that was the case, I would kill him myself." His eyes were dark and he bent down to kiss her scars gently, his hair falling down to tickle her.

Alessia ran her hands through his hair and smiled down at him. Anders smiled back and his hands massaged her breasts and tweaked her nipples. "Have you ever been with a mage before?" he asked as Alessia moaned with pleasure.

"Never," she gasped, as his fingertips sparked running lightly against her skin.

"Get ready, then. Oh, and I think we should set out for the Horn a day later."

…

They set off for Ustengrav two days later. Anders kept a smile on his face as he rode beside her and she would steal glances his way and grin every now and then.

They were attacked by wolves and bears along the way but did not care much and dispatched them quickly, for they were used to each other's fighting styles and worked well as a team. When they arrived at the ruins, they came upon some bandits who had camped right next to the burial site.

"Looks like we have a pair of heroes, boys," one of the bandits shouted. "Let's see who dies first!"

Alessia snorted in contempt, and quickly pulled out her bow. She nocked an arrow and quickly took out the bandit closest to the entrance, then drew another, aiming it for the leader. Anders froze the remaining two and shot an arcane bolt at the leader, who died instantly and slithered to the ground. Alessia quickly unsheathed her sword and hacked away at the frozen thugs, and they shattered into pieces.

"Hmm, they break easily, don't they?" Anders chuckled.

Alessia smiled and sheathed her weapons, then looked down at the entrance of the tomb. "Well, we're here," she said, taking a deep breath. "Let's do this."

Anders nodded, but pulled at her arm, giving her a chaste kiss before they went down the steps.

"For luck," he said, then followed her to the entrance of the tomb.

….


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N from moosesaregreat: Thank you to Lisa, KnightOfHolyLight, Golden Naginata, Koguma, PheonRen, and MB18932 for your reviews and also to those who favorited/followed our story! This chapter will answer some questions that you guys have raised. Everything will be answered in due time. Patience, people! Haha! We do have a plan, you know. :D**_

_**Bioware/Bethesda blah blah blah**_

Chapter 6

As they walked down the steps, Anders's eyes grew accustomed to the darkness. He paused, not only because Alessia had, but because he was feeling even more elated than before and this puzzled him. Ever since he had fallen into Skyrim there had been this sense of freedom and total abandonment. It had not been as constant as it was down here and he felt himself wondering why. He felt for Justice, deep in the dark recesses of his mind and found him even more distant. He frowned. Distant wasn't exactly the word. He knew Justice was there, but –

They had crept into a large chamber, which was dimly lit. There were mages in black robes and a couple of bandits. They passed a dead bandit on the ground and Anders could see another dead bandit leaning against one of the pillars.

"Necromancers," Alessia whispered. "Be on your guard. They will be hostile, so I think I'll use my bow."

Anders could hear them discussing with the bandits, and when he heard the word 'power' he frowned. That wasn't good at all...

Alessia attacked from the shadows, her aim fast and true. Within minutes, she had dispatched two of the bandits, and one of the mages. One of the others got uncomfortably close and Anders quickly froze him, then sent out a spell of chain lightning that electrocuted the rest.

"Nice!" Alessia smiled. "I hadn't seen you use that one before."

"My specialty for killing, among other things," Anders grinned.

Alessia's grin grew wider. "I like the 'other things' better.".

Anders chuckled, then his eyes focused on the mage corpse nearest to him. "Those mages were Necromancers, right? You mentioned them before, didn't you?"

Alessia nodded, then set about looting the bodies. "Yes. They are most definitely frowned upon by other mages. They raise the dead, summon Daedra to fight for them, and work with vampires as well." She pulled a small object from one of the corpses' robes, and turned to him. "This is a black soul gem. Soul gems are used for enchanting weapons and armor, usually the souls of animals. Black soul gems contain the soul of a person."

Anders frowned. "So they kill people for their souls?"

She nodded. "I've only dealt with them a few times, and I always find black soul gems. I don't know, maybe they need them for the foul rituals they perform."

Anders's frown deepened. "I caught the word 'power' when they were arguing with the bandits. A mage should never wish for power. Power corrupts."

Alessia smiled inwardly. Anders seemed to be so wholesome, such a decent human being. In just a short time, she had seen it in him and knew that she would end up caring for him much more than anyone she'd ever met. "I know very well how power and greed can corrupt. That's what happened with the Guild." She turned and looked down the corridor that led deeper into the ruins, and heard what seemed to be the sounds of fighting further on. Motioning to Anders, she took a few steps. A mage came into view, still flinging spell after spell at whatever or whoever she was fighting, then ran forward, disappearing from their line of sight.

Alessia pursed her lips thoughtfully. She heard the cry of a draugr and that was all she needed to realize what the mages were fighting. Turning to Anders she motioned him to stay down, then leaned forward to whisper. "The necromancers and draugrs are fighting. We can wait to see who the victors are, and dispatch them while they are wounded. Does that sound good to you?"

"Draugrs?" Anders asked curiously.

"The undead in these tombs are called draugrs. I've heard that they are cursed for serving the dragons of old," Alessia replied, peeking around the corner to watch the battle.

Anders nodded and waited. He didn't feel Justice stirring at all, and briefly wondered why. Alessia's voice urging him on made him focus on what lay ahead.

A lone draugr remained standing, its back to them. Alessia quickly nocked an arrow and dispatched it. She swiftly looted the bodies of the necromancers and draugrs, then walked on to the next corridor.

She moved slowly and quietly, crouching a little and Anders focused on his surroundings. The layout of the tomb went downwards, but he could barely see the path sloping in that direction. His old fear and discomfort of being underground suddenly gripped him, and he found himself panicking slightly.

Alessia heard his sharp intake of breath and turned her head slightly to get a good look at him. She saw that he had broken out in a sweat, the beads of perspiration covering his forehead.

"Are you all right?" She whispered in a very low voice.

"I – I'm not very keen on enclosed spaces or darkness," he stammered, his voice down to a whisper as well. "I spent a whole year in solitary confinement, and it takes a while for me to – to get a grip on myself."

"Solitary confinement?" she echoed, her voice full of concern for him.

Anders heard the tone in her voice and smiled inwardly, already feeling slightly better. "I escaped from the Circle Tower in Ferelden seven times. The last time I escaped, they put me in solitary confinement. I did not see anyone for a year, except for the templar jailors who fed me, that is."

From what he had told her of how mages in Thedas had been treated, she knew that that year of his life must have been extremely hard for him, and most certainly painful at the hands of the Templars. Her heart went out to him.

"Are you sure you can do this? You could wait for me outside," she said, her hand squeezing his reassuringly.

Anders closed his eyes for a few seconds and opened them again. Drawing strength from the small figure beside him he nodded. "I'm sure."

He could feel rather than see her smile, and he felt a certain sense of pride, coupled with a yearning to take her in his arms. He did not know what it was about this elven girl that could comfort him and make him want to kiss her senseless at the same time. He knew this wasn't a purely physical thing either, and had grown to care for her in the very short time he had spent with her. He had already confirmed that her heart was in the right place and her bravery had impressed him as well. He waited for the customary disapproval from Justice, but that didn't happen and he frowned slightly.

The tomb was lit by torches along the way, but they were few and in between, so they moved very slowly. Anders found himself crouching much like Alessia was, and kept to the shadows just like she did. As they advanced, he was aware of a humming noise in the background, but he didn't know if she heard it as well.

"Do you hear that?" he asked during one of their pauses.

"Hear what?" She replied, throwing a puzzled glance in his direction.

"The humming," he whispered.

She shook her head. "No, I can only hear a steady dripping of water which means we'll probably find an underground water source fairly soon. Stay close to me."

That was an understatement. He didn't want to be anywhere else. Ever.

The next draugr they encountered surprised Anders a little, not because he was frightened of dealing with the undead, but because its eyes were glowing blue and it was the first time he noticed that. He focused on an arcane shield around them both and Alessia dealt with it quickly, so they continued their descent. Anders frowned. He pondered on the color of the draugr's eyes as they slowly continued. What was blue? His eyes glowed blue when Justice took over. The spirits in the Fade sometimes had a bright bluish-white tint to them. The blue in –

"Anders, watch out!" Her voice urged and he turned just in time to see one of the draugrs attack from behind. He reacted accordingly and froze it, then conjured a firestorm for the rest of the draugrs that were fast advancing towards them.

When the six draugrs that had ambushed them were defeated, it hit him: Some of the underground lyrium back in Thedas had been blue. The undead were fueled by lyrium. This whole place was infused with lyrium. And Justice was...he shook his head and stopped.

The conversation he had overheard between the Warden Commander and Justice when he had been in Amaranthine suddenly popped into his head. He knew why Justice seemed to be distant or seemingly unresponsive, and it had a lot to do with the vast amounts of lyrium in this place.

…

Alessia sensed a change in Anders and turned to look at him. They were standing in front of an iron door which had a lit brazier right next to it. As they had dealt with all the draugrs in that area, they could afford to pause for a few minutes.

"Is everything all right?" she queried.

"I may know why it is that…um…I have something to tell you, Alessia. Something important. There is something about me that you should know," he blurted out, then waited, the tension creeping up his spine. He didn't know how she would react, but she had to know. She'd already seen Justice twice. He had been meaning to tell her earlier, while they were in Honeyside, but...

"Go ahead, I'm listening," she gave him an encouraging smile.

"I meant to tell you earlier, when we were in Honeyside, but we were rather busy there..." he gave her a nervous smile and she chuckled.

"I did something several years ago. Something that has altered me forever," he paused, and his brown eyes searched her face, as if looking for something. Whatever it was he thought he was looking for, he seemed to have found it for he took a deep breath and continued talking. "When I was in Amaranthine, I met a spirit that was trapped outside the Fade. He called himself Justice, because he embodied that virtue."

"The Fade?" Alessia asked.

"The Fade is the realm where you go when you dream and when you die," he smiled.

"Sovengarde for the Nords," she nodded.

"Well, this spirit was trapped in the world, and couldn't go back to the Fade. He was inside the body of a dead Grey Warden, which was bad. He could not continue to inhabit that body, for the flesh was beginning to rot and smell terribly. Also, the dead Warden's wife wanted to bury her husband. Justice wanted to free the mages from their oppression. He was against slavery in any form. So, I...I agreed to be Justice's host and let him in. We were going to help the mages. We wanted to make sure that no child would ever be ripped from his mother's arms again...to be taken to the circle. But, my anger for the templars and the mage oppression...changed him. Instead of the spirit of Justice, he became Vengeance." Anders looked to the ground briefly. Even if the memories of what had happened still made him feel guilty, it felt good to tell Alessia. He looked up and his brown eyes locked onto her icy blue ones.

"Is Justice...is that when you glow blue?" she asked, her eyes full of concern.

"Yes," he replied, still wary of the way she would react. The need to know what she must think of him now filled him with dread.

Alessia took his hand in hers. "I think that you didn't do anything wrong to Justice. It seems to me that you had a worthy cause to work towards," she paused. "Is there more?"

He felt a sense of relief, but it was short-lived because of the question she had just asked him. He might as well go ahead and tell her everything.

"There is. And if you ask me to leave after this is done, I'll understand," he whispered, his throat dry. "I've done a terrible thing. Justice fueled me, I became obsessed. The problems in Kirkwall, the city where I lived, were terrible. They were turning mages into Tranquil, and the templars were abusing their power. The Chantry, who supposedly controls the Templars, didn't care. Nobody did. The Grand Cleric, the person who leads the Chantry, didn't listen. She did nothing to help the mages. It could not go on." Anders swallowed, his eyes taking on a haunted look. Alessia could see the pain he was going through and she thought her heart would break. He swallowed again, and looked down at the floor, but this time he did not look back up. When he spoke, his voice sounded forlorn and tired. "I took some gunpowder, and put it in a barrel underneath the Chantry. I tricked my good friend into looking for the ingredients, and I waited for the right moment. The Templars called for the Rite of Annulment. The Rite of Annulment is when the Templars go into the Circle and kill every single mage there. Even the children."

Alessia's jaw dropped, her eyes widening with horror. "But...That's just murder!"

Anders nodded. "So, when I saw the Knight Commander bickering with the First Enchanter...um...the Knight Commander is the person who leads the Templars. The First Enchanter is the leader of the mages. I - I sent out a fire spell directly to the cloth that was in the barrel of gunpowder, and blew up the Chantry. I - the blast killed everyone there. The Chantry was destroyed. The Grand Cleric died, and many others. Innocent people, who didn't know. I - I..." Anders was crying now, the tears slowly running down his cheeks. "I killed innocent people. But Justice...he...I - we wanted to be heard! We wanted to tell the world that the mages deserved freedom! What followed was a battle. I thought that my friend would kill me. I wanted to die for what I had done. But she asked me to help her fight the Templars. After the battle, we left Kirkwall, and I've been running ever since for the past two years. And then...I fell to Skyrim. When that mirror broke, I..." he stopped talking because he was far too upset to continue.

Alessia had been chewing her lip in thought as she processed what he had told her, but never dropped his hand. She was quiet for a moment, and when she spoke it was almost as if she was speaking to herself rather than him. "So...in a way, you did to them what they would have done to the mages." She looked up to Anders's tear-stained face. "I...can't say that it is okay, but..." She put her free hand on his face and he raised his eyes to hers. "Power for one side, freedom for the other. War is a horrible thing, Anders. Innocents will die on both sides. And this...what you've told me of how the mages were treated, I would have fought for them as well."

Anders's eyes bore into hers, the light of hope gradually filling them. "Does that mean that you - you won't send me away after we leave this place?"

Alessia smiled and wiped the tears from his cheek. "No, Anders. We both have done things that we're not proud of. I would never hold your past against you."

Anders embraced her tightly, unable to contain the happiness that was now filling his heart. "You, you are so wonderful to me. I - " he looked deeply into her eyes and then he kissed her.

The kiss was a hungry and passionate one, one born of necessity and need fulfilled at the same time. They forgot where they were for a few minutes. It was Alessia who broke the kiss, and a laugh escaped her lips.

"We, sir, are in a tomb," she half-teased him.

"Right! But I'm not sorry for the kiss, though," Anders smiled down at her.

Alessia chuckled. "Neither am I. How about we finish killing all these draugrs, grab the horn and continue this later?"

When she mentioned 'draugrs', Anders suddenly remembered what he had wanted to share with her in the first place.

"This whole place is infused with lyrium. Justice seems to be distant, as if he were gone, but I know now what is happening. He once told the Warden Commander that lyrium 'sings' to him, which is the humming I heard earlier. It's like a drug to him. And since he is in a place which is practically built with lyrium, he is quiet and mellow, non-responsive. I daresay almost all the stone in Nirn has lyrium ore in it, but I'll need to study it further."

Alessia frowned in thought. "I suppose that's good, then? Every other time you've tried to tell me something that upsets you, he...comes out."

Anders nodded. "Only when he is enraged. But I didn't pay attention. He only took control when we were on the surface. Down here, he is drugged by all the lyrium. It could be good, because it's all me right now, but if we run into too much trouble down here…well, Justice is stronger than I am, so I don't know if this could be bad for us in the long run..."

Alessia snickered. "Maybe you should wear some lyrium around your neck? But only when we are in our bedroom..."

"Hmmm, I like the sound of that, my lady," Anders chuckled. "But let's go get the horn first."

…

They continued to creep deeper inside the tomb, killing the draugrs that appeared, and arrived to a section that overlooked a valley, complete with trees and a waterfall. The view was stunning from where they stood. Alessia heard Anders cry out "Maker!" and fall silent.

They saw that the path sloped downwards and followed it. They were running into skeletons now, and Anders was quick to notice that their eyes glowed blue as well. He was now quite sure that probably all of Nirn had vast deposits of lyrium ore underground. This was probably why anyone could do magic in Skyrim, as well. It seemed like a good explanation for him, anyway, but he knew he would have to research more in order to confirm it.

They went down the slopes and arrived at a vast outdoors area, with skeletons all around, and the walls of the tomb surrounding it. The skeletons were using bows and arrows to attack so Alessia did the same and since her bow was enchanted and she was using ebony arrows, the creatures didn't stand a chance.

The last skeleton they fought was one that was sitting on a throne against a wall. Alessia's arrow crushed its skull and the thing fell to pieces in a heap on the floor. She spotted a path leading down, and smiled.

"Time to get wet," she winked at Anders, and took the path down. He smiled and followed her down to the underground lake and waterfall. There was a wall there, and he found himself wondering why anyone would just go ahead and build a single wall that did nothing, but he turned to look at Alessia and saw that her eyes had a faraway look in them.

She walked stiffly towards the wall, and Anders saw some symbols start to glow a bright blue. He hurried his step to grab her arm, but she already was standing right in front of them.

As Alessia neared the words on the wall, her vision narrowed on them. She heard a low humming sound, which grew louder as she walked closer. Standing directly in front of the wall, the symbols upon it glowed brighter as the humming crescendoed into loud chanting, the rest of the world going dark around her. Suddenly, the voices and light stopped and her entire body tingled as it slumped to the ground.

"No! Don't you dare!" Anders cried out as he rushed forward to kneel before her limp form. He quickly touched the side of her neck and exhaled with relief when he saw that she was still breathing. He quickly put his hands over her, and cast a healing spell and then a rejuvenating spell immediately after. Her lovely eyes fluttered open and she looked into his eyes, blinking.

"Well, hello there, handsome. You live around here?" She gave him a coy smile.

Anders smiled. "You fainted. I thought for a moment there that -" but Alessia raised her right hand and put a finger on his lips.

"I promise you I won't die on your watch," she whispered.

He smiled as he helped her up. "What just happened there? How are you feeling?"

Alessia shook her head. "I'm not really sure. I have found these walls before, and the Greybeards talked about them when they taught me another word of power. I'm...okay. The chanting is stronger now, it's different from the other times. Also, I didn't have a good-looking man to help me out before," she teased.

He grinned and then his lips descended on hers, kissing her tenderly. She was the first to break the kiss, and Anders might have pouted a little.

Alessia burst out laughing. "I promise I'll make it up to you. I just want to get this over with, you know?"

He nodded and followed her up the sloped path back to where they had fought the skeletons. There was a natural bridge that crossed over to another section and they took it, arriving to three strange rocks with runes carved into them. A lone skeleton attacked them from above, his aim so bad, he hit one of the runes by mistake and it glowed briefly. Alessia nocked an arrow and the skeleton fell apart. She turned to look at the stone that had glowed. Stepping closer to it, she eyed the gates at the far end of the chamber. As soon as the stone glowed, the first gate opened. She stepped away, and a few seconds later, the gate closed with a crash. Since there were three stones, that meant that there were three gates. She frowned, her mind focusing on how to pass the gates.

"Um, not to interrupt or anything, but I was there while you were training," Anders said softly. "Didn't The Greybeards teach you a word to sprint?"

Alessia nodded and threw a grateful smile over her shoulder. "Ok, you be the smart one and I'll be the pretty one." Anders smiled and watched her focus on the stones, stepping closer to each one then watching each gate rise and then crash down. He smiled at the focused look on her face, and tried to control the urge to take her in his arms and kiss her passionately. Finally, he interrupted, for if he didn't talk, he knew he would lose what little self-control he had left.

"How am I going to get through? I sure can't sprint as fast as you, oh mighty Dovahkiin!"

She chuckled, turning a cheerful gaze at Anders. "I think I should try to get across first. But maybe you should stand right next to the gates, just in case? That way when I come back for you, I can drag you through the gates with me!"

Anders immediately walked around the stones and stood right next to the gates. Alessia shut her eyes and focused on the word for Whirlwind sprint the Greybeards had taught her. She actually _felt _it sing to her briefly. Then, she took a deep breath.

She started to run, then picked up the speed when she passed the third stone. "Wuld!" she shouted, passing the first and second gates. Without stopping, she shouted again and cleared the third one. Her heart was pounding, but she had made it across, and when she turned, she was pleased to see that the gates had remained opened, allowing Anders to pass through.

"That was fast!" Anders said, a note of admiration in his voice.

After a moment, Alessia caught her breath and they crept further into the tomb, eventually coming upon webbing lining the walls and crossing over their path. Alessia swore under her breath, then unsheathed her dagger and cut through the strands inhibiting their passage. "Frostbite spiders," she said, turning to Anders. "I'm sure there will be quite a few. Be careful."

Alessia continued to move about the chambers slowly, and grinned when she saw an orange shiny liquid on the floor of the next room. She could make out shadows moving at the far end of the room and turned to Anders. "No magic, ok? Stay here." Without waiting for his response, she crept into the room, drawing an arrow from the quiver on her back and nocked it. She stood tall and yelled, "HEY YOU UGLY BASTARDS!" She heard their feet scrabbling for purchase on the stone and watched them make their way onto the orange stained floor. She drew her arrow back and aimed it up towards the ceiling, hitting a pot that was hanging by a rope and knocking it down. She calmly stepped back next to Anders and they watched as the pot fell and shattered, the flame inside it engulfing the oil on the floor and setting the spiders on fire. They squealed and clawed at the ground, but when the fire went out, they were nothing but charred remains on the floor.

"Nice one!" Anders exclaimed, his eyes glittering with admiration in the dim half-light of the room.

Alessia grinned. "I will use the fire traps any time I see them. One arrow can kill 10 beasties."

Anders smiled and then froze. A clicking noise filled the room and they both watched a giant frostbite spider dropping onto the floor in front of them. It made a clicking noise with its fangs and charged at Alessia.

She immediately dropped her bow to the floor and pulled her sword from the sheath on her back. Pulling her dagger as well, she jumped to the side and swung her blades toward the monstrosity as it charged where she had been a moment before. Her sword sliced into its abdomen, but seemed to not affect it. Anders quickly cast an electricity spell on the beast, while Alessia stepped closer to it as it jerked around from his spell, stabbing into its abdomen again with both blades. It screeched and turned towards her, the spell having worn off. It charged again, and Alessia leapt nimbly, landing upon its back, where she plunged her sword as far as she could between its thorax and head. The spider groaned, then fell, Alessia hopping off of it and landing on her feet.

She sheathed her sword, used her dagger to relieve the massive spider of its venom, then continued to the doorway, which was covered completely in spider silk. She grumbled to herself as she cut through it with her dagger, and when they had gotten though, they came upon a large iron door.

Leaning heavily into the large door with her small frame, Alessia managed to shove it open. In front of them was a large chamber, dominated by a body of water with a small stone altar in the middle. As they continued down the path towards the altar, they felt a rumbling in the floor beneath their feet, growing louder and more violent as they moved. As they neared the edge of the lake, pillars began to rise, pushing out of the water at their passing.

Anders let out a "Maker!" cry, as the pillars rose up - two on each side of the stone walkway that led to the altar. Alessia did not even notice as her eyes were on the empty brackets topping the altar, which should have held the horn. She quickened her pace, and made it to the iron brackets, where a note lay instead of the horn they were supposed to retrieve.

Narrowing her eyes, she grabbed the note, and read it out loud, her voice shaking with suppressed anger.

"Dragonborn,

I need to speak to you. Urgently.  
Rent the attic room at the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood, and I'll meet you.

A friend."

Alessia threw the note to the floor angrily. "A _friend_? Flaming goat herder, trying to make me follow _them! _I've had enough of people using me!" Her voice rose in volume and octave, and she began to pace, grumbling to herself. Finally, she turned to Anders, and his concerned gaze softened her bout of anger and she stopped pacing. "I don't like this, Anders. Why would someone do this? Isn't this hard enough without some bloody..." she paused and took a deep breath. "Without someone hindering us?"

Anders stepped closer to her, his voice soft as he took her in his arms.

"We'll get through this. At least the inn at Riverwood doesn't have any draugrs or giant spiders, right?"

Alessia laughed as she leaned into his embrace. "Nope! But, Solitude is closer and it's got to be close to nightfall by now."

Anders nodded. "What I'd like to know is how the heck did this person make it through? I mean, is there another entrance here that we don't know about?"

Alessia looked around and spotted a hidden passageway in the stone close to them. "Most of these places have a back door, and I think I found it...too bad we didn't know about it before!"

Anders stole a kiss from her before they walked towards the door, and sighed. "Well. At least we'll be in a warm room relatively soon. And frankly speaking there is no other place I'd like to be more at the moment. A hot meal first, a bath and you. In that order."

Alessia turned to him and pouted as they walked up into the late day sunlight. "Why do I have to be last?"

"I always save the best for last, my dear," Anders chuckled.

…


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hello there! First we'd like to thank our wonderful reviewers: Golden Naginata, PheonRen, KnightOfHolyLight, koguma and MB18932. A huge thank you to all of you who have put this fic on your favorites list and are now following it! **_

_**Please feel free to drop us a line: either PM us or write your thoughts in a review. We LOVE feedback! :D **_

_**This chapter contains smut, so it's NSFW. Considered yourselves warned!**_

_**Lyrium does play an important part in this fic, but we're also changing some of the story line and tweaking and twisting the plot, haha! :D **_

_**Our disclaimer as usual…BIOWARE AND BETHESDA ROCK! :D **_

Chapter 7

The sun had been close to setting when they exited the tomb and it was long past dark when they entered Solitude. Alessia led Anders to the Winking Skeever, Solitude's inn, which was just inside the gates. As they entered, the sounds and smells of people talking jovially and eating their dinner washed over them. She turned to Anders and asked, "Food first, yeah?"

Anders smiled. "I'm starving! If you hear a groan, it's my stomach!"  
_Why are we still here in this place? We have to get back to help the mages! _

Anders shook his head, and Alessia lifted an eyebrow. "So...you're not hungry, then?"

"Sorry about that!" Anders muttered. "Of course I am!" He gave her an apologetic smile and squeezed his eyes shut for a few moments, then followed her to a table. She laid her pack on the chair, then left the table to order their food, speaking briefly with an Argonian in passing. He nodded at something she said, and she continued over to the innkeeper. After speaking with him, she brought two tankards of ale back to the table and plunked one in front of Anders.

"I think we deserve a drink! I'm not going to get sloshed like the last time," she smiled.

Anders grinned. "Oh, but I love it when you do get 'sloshed'. You roll your r's and your voice turns into a purr. Very seductive!"

Alessia smiled coyly at him. "Perhaps that's what I was going for. That night did end with you in my bed!"

"Shock and scandal, my lady! If I was in your bed, it's because _I _was going for it, not you!" he teased.

She snorted and took a drink of her ale. The bard in the corner of the room finished tuning her lute and began to sing, making all the Nords in the room yell out joyfully, and Alessia clap her hands.

"Oh, there once was a hero named Ragnar the Red, who came riding to Whiterun from ole Rorikstead!

And the braggart did swagger and brandish his blade as he told of bold battles and gold he had made!"

The girl took two steps forward, swinging her lute to the right, as she strummed. The people of the inn were all clapping; some of them had stood up, with their tankards in their hands and were swaying to the music.

"But then he went quiet, did Ragnar the Red, when he met the shieldmaiden Matilda who said..." The bard now gestured at the Nords sitting closest to her, and smiled, inviting them to sing. Everyone in the room raised their tankards and yelled out the next verses with her.

"'Oh you talk and you lie and you drink all our mead! Now I think it's high time that you lie down and bleed!" Some of the people in the inn burst out laughing and sat back down again but a few of them remained standing, waving their tankards to and fro.

"And so came the clashing and slashing of steel, as the brave lass Matilda charged in full of zeal!  
And the braggart named Ragnar was boastful no moooooore...when his ugly red head rolled around on the floor!"

Alessia clapped her hands along with the crowd as the song ended and their meal arrived. "That's always been one of my favorites!" she said, then dug into her baked potatoes.

Anders, who had been watching her quietly with a stupid grin on his face, chuckled. He could not believe his luck. Here was a woman who liked to drink and have fun, had a fantastic sense of humor, could cook, was a passionate lover and had a compassionate soul. He drank some of his ale, then leaned over to her.

"I don't care much for the name Ragnar, though! And Matilda...well...it's ugly," he said between bites, pausing only to chew his food and swallow. "But _your _name...is downright beautiful..."

Alessia smiled. "Well, that depends on how you look at it. Alessia was a woman in the First Era, who they later made a saint for her acts to free the human slaves from the ancient Ayleids. They called her 'the Slave Queen'. Thing is, the Ayleids were elves. Now it's as if it's come back around again. The Aldmeri Dominion wants the dominance of elves and magic, and in places like Windhelm, the Nords treat the elves and Argonians like second-class citizens. Everyone wants power over each other for any reason possible…I really don't know what Mother was thinking naming me Alessia." She chuckled. "She had a sense of humor, that's for sure!"

Anders smiled. "I like your name more than before now." He suddenly grew serious. "In Thedas, the elves are treated badly also. Many of them live in Alienages which are places set aside for them in the cities or are sold as slaves to the Tevinter Imperium. They are also considered second-class citizens, but treated worse than animals." His countenance darkened, and Alessia caught a glimpse of a flash of blue in his eyes. But then he locked his eyes on hers and smiled, and then turned his attention back to the plate of food in front of him.

"What about your name? I like it, so I'm wondering if it has any significance." Alessia asked, stealing a glance at Anders.

His brow furrowed as the memories he had buried deep inside suddenly invaded his brain: the fearful look in his father's eyes – the cry and desperate look on his mother's face as she tried to hide him from the templars…His eyes locked on hers and she saw the familiar flash of blue as he struggled to maintain his self-control.

After a few moments, he seemed to have gotten a grip on himself and began to talk, keeping his eyes on his plate.

"The Anderfels is a nation in the north in Thedas. It's cold and harsh, and it's where Weisshaupt Fortress is, which happens to be the Grey Wardens' headquarters. The whole nation was nearly devastated by one of the Blights there a long time ago. They called me 'Anders' when I arrived at the circle because my family comes from the Anderfels." Anders paused, and raised his eyes to her. Alessia saw the pain in them and immediately regretted having mentioned his name at all. "They call the mages what they want in the tower. Family names are non-existent. It doesn't matter to them who you are or what your name is."

"I'm sorry, Anders. I didn't mean to bring about painful memories," Alessia said in an undertone. She turned back to her plate as the bard in the corner started in on a new song.

"Our hero, our hero, claims a warrior's heart," the bard began, and Alessia blanched visibly. "I tell you, I tell you, the Dragonborn comes."

Alessia looked around the room and saw that the Nords were listening with rapt attention, then dropped her spoon and turned to Anders. "I'm not hungry anymore. I'll go get us a room."

The lyrics of the song followed her as she made her way through the patrons to the innkeeper. "With a Voice wielding power of the ancient Nord art. Believe, believe the Dragonborn comes."

Anders quickly shoved the rest of his food in his mouth and stood up to follow her. He could see that she was visibly upset, but said nothing as she asked for a room. He grabbed hold of her hand and squeezed it gently as the innkeeper led them to a room on the second floor.

The room itself was large and comfortable. The innkeeper frowned when Anders asked for a tub to wash, but said he would return shortly with it. Anders surveyed his surroundings with interest. There was a bookshelf in the room full of books and he itched to walk over and read the titles, but Alessia had sat down on one of the chairs looking very dejected and troubled. He quickly crossed the room over to where she was, and knelt in front of her.

"Look at me," he said quietly, lifting her chin up gently with his thumb and forefinger. Alessia dragged her eyes up and sighed. "You are a wonderful person, and you aren't alone. I want you to understand that..."

"I will do what I must, Anders. I will. It's just that…looking around and seeing the expressions on their faces…What I am, or will be, is a legend. I just – I don't want to – fail. People will surely die if I fail," Alessia said in a whisper.

"You won't."

She fixed her icy blue eyes on his. "How do you know?"

"I know you were born to do this. And I know you won't let people die. You won't fail."

The words were said firmly, and Alessia felt the conviction behind them strengthen her resolve a little and she gave Anders another small smile. Anders's hands went to her face and gently smoothed away a lock of hair that was in her eyes.

There was a knock on the door, and the innkeeper opened it. He dragged a large tub to the center of the room. Anders thanked him and he left, closing the door behind him.

He focused on the tub, and in moments had it full of large chunks of ice, which he then proceeded to melt using a simple fire spell. The steam coming from the water told him it was hot and he turned to Alessia with a smile.

"I know what will cheer you up. I'll give you a nice hot bath, and massage your back. How does that sound?"

Alessia gave him a small smile and began unbuckling her armor. "You mean you'll actually let me bathe first?"

Anders laughed. "I mean," he said as he reached for her hand to stop her, then started unbuckling her armor himself. "...I'll treat you like a precious goddess. I am your slave for the night..." he whispered, his hands deftly stripping her of her chest piece and then the shirt she wore underneath. She still had her breast band on, but he smiled and took her hands to pull her up. "Next come your breeches..." he said quietly as he unlaced them and they slithered to the floor. Alessia continued to look into his eyes. Her pupils were so dilated that they were black, and her breath was coming in short rasps now. He trailed a hand up her exposed thigh and very slowly brought it back down to her boots then started unlacing them. Once he was done, she stepped out of them and gasped when he brought his hands up to her smalls. He unlaced them and watched them slide to the floor to join the rest of her clothing then started to kiss her thighs.

Alessia shivered with pleasure. Anders stood up, and embraced her, deftly reaching for the laces of her breast band and untying them. His hands ran up and down her back and his lips descended on hers.

He pulled away from the kiss first, and suddenly carried her over to the tub, where he lay her gently in the warm water.

"There's soap in my pack," Alessia said, shutting her eyes, a smile playing on the corners of her mouth.

Anders grinned and quickly retrieved the soap, then knelt down behind her. He gently began to work the soap to a lather and proceeded to wash her arms first of all, then his hands went up to her shoulders and neck. Alessia hummed, and a sigh escaped her lips when he reached her breasts. He carefully washed one first and then the other, then sat her up and moved down to her back and stomach. His touch was gentle and thorough, and by the time he reached below her belly button she was arching her back in the water.

But Anders did not say a word until his right hand reached her curly auburn hair. "Stand up, sweetheart," he murmured.

Alessia stood up and he washed her softly parting her folds while she gasped. He then sat her back down and took one leg in his hands and washed it, then washed the other leg. Alessia was looking at him with a hunger he had not seen in a woman before and his erection throbbed painfully.

"Stay right there. Close your eyes. I'm going to get a towel."

She closed her eyes and could hear him opening her pack and smiled. He came back to her and kissed her softly on the lips.

"Don't you want to bathe as well?" Alessia asked, opening her eyes and locking them to his.

"I will in a moment. Time to dry you," he said in a low voice. His eyes burned into hers as he helped her up and out of the tub, then he wrapped the large towel around her body and gently began to dry her. Once he was done, he turned to the water and flicked his hands. The water disappeared, and he filled the tub with ice again and melted it. Once the water was hot enough, he turned to her, a soft smile playing on the corners of his lips.

"Let me do the same," she said, as she started unclasping the buckles of his feather-pauldroned coat. Anders kept his eyes on her as she undressed him. Soon he was in the tub, and she was washing him. He half-closed his eyes as he watched her, until she reached out for his erection. He lost control then and stood up, taking her in his arms and kissing her passionately. She kissed him back, pressing her body against his as he guided her towards the bed.

"You're all wet," she whispered huskily and Anders gave a short gasp and kissed her again, his hands roaming over her body. He reached below her navel and smiled between kisses as his fingers parted her folds.

"So are you."

…

Anders was the first to wake early the following morning and he smiled as he looked at her sleeping face on the pillow beside him. He had not had his nightmare, which put him in a very good mood. His eyes slowly traveled over her lovely face, and delicately pointed ears, then down to her half-covered body. The fire in the chimney had died down and it was chilly, so he gently covered her with the sheets and furs and got out to start another fire. Soon, the flames were dancing merrily in the fireplace and he shivered as he made his way back to the bed.

Alessia snuggled into him as he climbed back under the covers. "I don't want to get up yet," she mumbled into the pillow, then turned and met his eyes. "I suppose we have to though."

Anders smiled and nodded, his eyes dark with longing. "I suppose we do."

Alessia pouted, then gave Anders a quick kiss before crawling out from under the sheets and finding the pieces of her armor scattered about the room. She dressed quickly, then turned to Anders. "I've got to talk with someone downstairs before we leave," she said, grabbing her pack. "I saw you eyeing the books over there. Grab whatever you want and meet me downstairs when you're done."

Anders nodded and watched her leave. He slumped back into the bed his mind working furiously. He didn't want to acknowledge his feelings for her. Not just yet, anyway. There was still time, and he didn't want to rush things. They still had to get to know each other more. He did know one thing though, the more he knew her, the more smitten he became.

He smiled and got out of bed, and as he picked up his clothes thought about her face and her winning expressions that slowly, but surely were bringing her closer to his heart.

_You must ask her where you fell. There may be a clue to leaving this place there._

He pushed Justice back, his face dark and broody as he finished dressing and tied his hair back, then arranged the things in his pack and left the room without a backwards glance. His heart was heavy as he realized he would have to ask her to take him to the place where he had fallen soon, before Justice lost what little patience he had.

…

Anders found Alessia haggling prices of some goods with the Argonian down in the common room. "I really don't think you understand the difficulty in getting these things, Gulum-Ei," she said. "_You _certainly couldn't."

Gulum-Ei smiled toothily. "Of course not, Guildmaster. But, I only have so much gold." He handed her a coin purse and slipped the items on the table into a bag. "This time, you get your price. Next time, no." With that, he got up and left the inn.

"I knew I should have killed him," Alessia grumbled and motioned Anders towards the door. "One more thing, then we'll be on our way, I promise."

Anders said nothing to this and Alessia noticed his brooding face and frowned slightly. She could not imagine what it was like to have another spirit inside you, but she could bet the coin purse she had just received that this spirit was probably to blame for Anders's expression.

Taking his hand in hers and squeezing it comfortingly, she led him further into the city, past a few merchants and towards the palace rising in the distance. The architecture of Solitude was different from most places in Skyrim, favoring solid stone and wood over the thatch in smaller villages. Children dodged around them playing tag, people walked to wherever they were going, unknowing of the dragon problem plaguing the land.

"We're heading towards that blue-domed building, aren't we?" Anders finally spoke. "It's lovely, but different from what I've seen of Skyrim so far."

Alessia nodded. "That's the Blue Palace, where the High King would live if there was one. His widow, Jarl Elisif, resides there now. Solitude seems to look the closest to cities in Cyrodiil, though not as intricately built as the Imperial City. The Ayleids built most of the Imperial City back in the First Era. It seems to me that the Nords don't like change of any kind." A longing look came into her eyes. "Cyrodiil is beautifully built. The big cities are all prolifically different in structure and beauty The Imperial City, in particular, is amazing. High arches were one of the Ayleids favorite things. Every city, every ruin, every magic well had high arches."

"You're homesick, aren't you?" Anders inquired softly.

Alessia turned a warm gaze on him and smiled. "It doesn't matter. There is nothing left for me there. And…I can't return now, anyway."

Anders nodded. "I would like to ask you a favor."

"Yes?"

Anders took a deep breath. "I'd like to visit the place where I fell. Maybe there's something there that will help me figure out how I got here."

Alessia nodded. "It was just outside Riften. We'll travel there as soon as we can."

They were now standing outside the Blue Palace, and Alessia took his hand. "Come on," she said cheerfully. "I'd like you to meet the Jarl and her steward. They are the only authoritative figures in Skyrim that I don't want to stab repeatedly all the time."

"Then they must be worth meeting," Anders chuckled, giving her a lopsided grin as he followed her into the palace.

…


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N from moosesaregreat: Hello everyone! First off, I'd like to thank our loyal reviewers Golden Naginata, MB18932, Blinded in a bolthole, koguma, and KnightOfHolyLight…and those who have followed/favorited us! Thank you all soooo much! We're always happy to see what you think. Some reviews, well...I'm not quite sure what to make of, but we still like them. So…this chapter answers some questions AND…well, I have a thing about dudes with long hair and brushing it. So yeah, that was me…and I don't feel bad about it at all! Hahaha! Anyway, enjoy!**_

_**A/N from alyssacousland: Yep, dudes with loooong hair. And my goodness, has Anders's hair grown! We think it's because after the Chantry incident in Kirkwall, all he's done is run and fight, so there's no time for haircuts!:D **_

_**We would also like to point out that nothing is set in stone in this fic, regarding the various issues that take place in the game. So what you read here may change a little or a lot in the future, or maybe not! Keep that in mind! :D **_

_**Obligatory disclaimer: Bethesda and Bioware own this stuff (but we own our long-haired, witty Anders!:P) **_

Chapter 8

Alessia led Anders into the large stone complex. The outside had small bushes of lavender and thistle, which Alessia picked and stashed away into her satchel as they passed. Inside, the doors opened to a foyer with passageways leading away from it and a stairway leading upwards. They took the upward leading staircase and immediately found the Jarl of Solitude sitting on her throne, surrounded by her followers.

The young Jarl immediately brightened. "Alessia! Gods be good, I'm happy to see you!" Alessia immediately bowed to her and Elisif rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes. Protocol and all that. Please, rise! I've heard about your...rising in the ranks, _Guildmaster_, and dislike a friend such as you bowing to me."

Alessia rose and smiled. "I have some news for Falk Firebeard, which you may want to hear. "She looked around at the many people in the room and said, "Perhaps we should convene for some wine?"

Elisif took Alessia's raised eyebrow into account and rose from the throne, barking orders to the servants scurrying around. They all sat at a table in a room just off the throne room, waiting for the servants to pour wine and leave; Elisif at the head of the table, with Alessia and Falk at her hands, and Anders next to Alessia. Alessia introduced Anders as a close friend and companion and both Elisif and Falk smiled at him warmly.

Elisif began to raise her goblet to her mouth but was interrupted by Alessia. "I'd wait….ah, Jarl Elisif. You may want your drink for after. Falk sent me investigating disappearances of your people along with strange lights in Wolfskull Cave."

The Jarl nodded, and Alessia continued. "What I found was a group of necromancers trying to raise the spirit of Potema Septim." Elisif and Falk nodded at her to continue as Anders cast a questioning look at her.

Alessia smiled at Anders and elaborated. "Potema Septim was an heir to the Empire in the Third Era, and the Jarldom of Solitude, and was known for being inherently evil. Supposedly, she was laid across the lap of her grandfather, Emperor Uriel Septim II, who famously said, 'She looks like a she-wolf, about ready to pounce.' Later in her life, she tried to use both her son and necromancy to ascend the throne." Alessia paused and took a drink of wine to wet her throat. "If her spirit were to be raised now, she would become the Empress."

"Indeed," Elisif said, a troubled look on her face. "And the Nine help us if that were to happen…" She turned to Alessia curiously. "How is it that you are so well-versed in our history?"

Alessia blushed. "I grew up in the Imperial City; my mother had an apothecary there. There was a bookseller next door, and I would go over there and read as a child. The Wolf Queen books were some of my favorites, though I did find most history compelling."

Falk interrupted, "If I may be so bold, I think that perhaps we should have Potema's bones sanctified." Elisif and Alessia both turned their attention to him. "Styrr, the priest of Arkay in charge of the Hall of the Dead, warned me of this. He thinks that if we bless her remains, then this will never happen again. He thinks that she was not destroyed when you stopped the ritual and is worried about her rising again as we speak. I was going to send out a missive to you about all this, but you arrived here and may I add not a moment too soon!"

Elisif frowned. "If she rises, and succeeds, then we will all die. I cannot let that happen." She turned to Alessia, her eyes hopeful. "Could you help us out, my friend?"

Alessia nodded. "Of course. Things are bad enough as they are without a dead necromancer to muddle them." She rose, bowing slightly. "My friend and I will return and let you know what has happened."

"You should go to Styrr, he has instructions and a set of keys for you. Thank you. This means a lot to the people of Solitude," Falk smiled.

Alessia inclined her head and left the room, with Anders following closely behind her.

"So, we're going to hunt down and kill a risen necromancer? I feel all warm and fuzzy inside," he remarked, his eyes twinkling.

…

They made their way to Styrr first, who mostly repeated what Falk had said and then added that he would like the remains once the deed was done to bless them. While they were walking towards the temple, Anders looked at Alessia.

"So," he began, giving her a sidelong glance, "You seem really friendly with the Jarl. Problems with _not all _authoritative figures then?"

Alessia turned to him. "Yes and no. Most of them...approve of what I do, in a way. The Guild helps the economy of the country and so I get some sort of - equanimity with them, I guess, because of my position. With Elisif, though...I don't know. We struck a quick friendship. I think it may have something to do with the fact that when her husband, the High King died, she was thrust into a position of power and did not know what to do. The same happened with me and the Guild, and we bonded. However, people see that we are friendly and automatically think that the Guild sides with the Empire in the Civil War because she does. I just think that she isn't as power hungry as the rest and is doing what she sees is best.'"

"You mentioned a Civil War before," Anders frowned. "Why haven't we run into any fighting?"

"Honestly? I know where all of the forts and camps are, and I've been sure to avoid them. However, the fighting is getting worse and I think we'll run into some soon." Alessia's brow furrowed. "I see both sides of it, and considering my place in the Guild, I'd rather not be seen to take sides. Also, I suppose I should apologize for not talking about it earlier. Your...'glowing' friend kind of makes it hard to talk about things."

Anders blushed and Alessia smiled. It was the first time she had ever seen him blush and it was kind of endearing to her.

"Sorry about that. The good side to all this is that we're heading underground. As you know, the fact that the rocks here are lyrium ore at their core affects Justice. It will be all me down there." He gave her an apologetic smile as they made their way inside the Temple. "I would like to know about the sides, and why Skyrim is in a Civil War, but I guess you can tell me once we are in the catacombs proper." His eyes now were taking in the details of the temple, and Alessia smiled again as she walked directly to the altars on the far end. Standing in front of the altar of Akatosh, she knelt as she touched the elaborately carved effigy reverently, and a blue and golden glow enveloped her briefly.

"Let's go," she whispered as she rose, making her way to the staircase that led down to the dungeons and catacombs.

…

The catacombs were full of undead and vampires, which ambushed them at regular intervals. Alessia made a mental note to give Anders one of her cure disease potions, for she suspected that he had been bitten already. To top it all off, Potema's voice could be heard as they made their way through the tunnels every now and then, belittling and egging them on. There also were a couple of traps and stone trap doors that gave them a hard time. One of them was a set of three revolving stone doors. Alessia had to ask Anders to stand right next to her, and join hands so he could step in between each of the doors with her, to avoid getting squeezed or impaled.

They had reached another section of the tomb and fought off the draugrs. Seeing that they were safe for the time being, Alessia suggested they sit and eat for a few moments, to catch their breath.

Alessia eyed Anders as she took a bite of her cheese. "So...um...is your friend around?"

Anders grinned. "No, he hasn't been around since we first entered the dungeons that lead to these catacombs. You can talk all you want now."

Abruptly, he leaned over and gave her a kiss and she smiled inwardly to herself. "Well, that wasn't what I was going to talk about," she chuckled.

"I'm sorry," Anders whispered. "The light here makes you look incredibly beautiful. I'll let you talk, I promise."

"Don't ever apologize for showing me affection, silly," Alessia smiled. "I just thought that since he wasn't here, you'd like to know more of what is going on with the war."

"Oh, he is here, make no mistake," Anders grinned. "Just...not...available. Of course I would like to know. Skyrim doesn't exactly seem to be at war. What are the two factions fighting about? And who are the two factions, exactly?"

Alessia took a deep drink of water. "Skyrim, Cyrodiil and a few other nations form what is known as the Empire. It is ruled from the Imperial City, where I was born. However, the Altmer extremists, who are called the Aldmeri Dominion and are known as the Thalmor, have thought for years to dominate man, thinking themselves superior. They have taken over the Empire using magic and threatened some races such as the Bosmer. The tribal Bosmer back in Valenwood are simple people. The sneaky rogues, remember?" Anders nodded, his rapt attention on her making Alessia smile momentarily before she shook her head and continued. "Magic frightens them. They only want to worship the trees and be left alone. However, the Aldmeri Dominion needed their lands to transport goods to Cyrodiil for the war, and threatened them. The Dominion is still killing entire tribes at once to subdue them. The Bosmer either take part in the war that the Dominion is raging across Nirn, or die," Alessia looked angry, but carried on. "This isn't the first time that the Altmer have tried this. It didn't work before in the First Era. The Bosmer and Khajiit fought against them as did the Empire...The reason for _this _war is that the Nords want to govern themselves. They don't want to be a part of the Empire. The Dominion is trying to take away the worship of Talos..."

"Talos, as in the man who became a god?" Anders asked.

Alessia nodded. "The Dominion doesn't view him as a god because he wasn't one of the original Aedra, the Divines that I told you of. He was _made _a god, and therefore isn't truly a God according to them. The Altmer only worship those that the ancient Ayleids worshipped."

"The Eight, then, right?" Anders nodded. "Go on, please..."

"The Septim Dynasty, Tiber Septim specifically, who later became Talos and the first Dragonborn...turned them back the first time around. I'm sure that is why they hate the worship of Talos so much, not because he was a mortal. I'm not sure what else to tell you, only that as I said before, I can see both sides of the story. The Empire gives everyone a solid structure for government and trade, but it's not right to take away freedom of worship. On the other hand, the rebel Stormcloaks are right for wanting to be free to worship who they like and govern themselves, as should the Bosmer and anyone else. Do you see why I want to steer clear of it all?"

Anders nodded. "I do. The whole thing is a fight for power in the end. And freedom. Though wishing for freedom isn't bad. In fact, I wish for freedom and have wished for freedom ever since I was sent to the Circle of Magi at the age of twelve. It's why I continued to escape even though I knew I would be captured. The templars have a way to find the mages who escape. When we are taken into the tower, they take blood from us and put it in small vials, called phylacteries. Our blood is infused with magic, so it works like a beacon for the templars looking for us, and leads them right to where we are. So...I knew that I would be captured, but escaped over and over again anyway because I wanted to be free."

Alessia shook her head sadly and caressed his arm, consoling him. "Everyone should be free, Anders. I don't understand why people can't live in peace. Why they can't respect other people's differences and rejoice in the fact that they're different and learn from it. Like Ri'saad. Everything I knew of the Khajiit was turned upside-down after I spoke with him, and I think that I'm a better person for learning who they really are and loving the differences between our people. But, I suppose most people aren't as open as I am."

"At least magic isn't considered a plague here on Nirn," Anders said sadly. "Even though the Aldmeri seem to be doing their best to make it hated. I suspect it's because everyone is born with the ability to do magic. I really think this has a lot to do with the fact that everyone has...what did you call it? Magicka?" Alessia nodded to this. "I need to study it further, but my guess is that the lyrium ore in your rock alters everyone's constitution, granting them the ability to cast spells and use magic." He pondered on something for a few moments then eventually locked his eyes on hers. "I would love to visit the place where the mages study. In fact, there is nothing more interesting to me at the moment. In Thedas, we are kept in towers and controlled by the templars. Being in a place where magic is studied freely is very enticing to me."

Alessia smiled and took his hand in hers. "I'll take you to the College as soon as I can," she said. "Unfortunately, it seems that I have fifty things to do at the same time and no time do them all."

Anders smiled back, pulling her close. "I know that," he whispered, as his lips descended on hers.

They forgot where they were for a few minutes, until Alessia pulled away reluctantly. "We should be on our way. It's important that we get this done so we can finally make our way to Riverwood and meet the person who stole the horn!"

…

Alessia and Anders finally made it to what seemed to be where Potema's remains were, a large room with skeletal remains upon an altar. The room was ringed with the tombs of draugrs, and the draugrs rose and attacked the pair.

A voice boomed over the flurry of blades and magic. "_You've come far, mortal, but can you stand against my inner council?_"

Anders quickly surrounded them both with an arcane shield, and immediately proceeded to cast a repulsion field. The draugrs running towards them were flung backwards, and Alessia shoved her dagger into the chest of the draugr closest to them, then used her sword to behead it. It glowed faintly, then stood back up, headless but bearing its axe. "Anders, she's reanimating them!"

"Watch those electricity spells of hers!" Anders shouted back. "I think I can do something about that. I learned this spell a while back, hang on!" He cast a Mystical Negation spell that took care of Potema's electrical spells, but in order to do that, he had to stop the Repulsion field. As a result, the draugrs now rushed towards them with nothing to stop their progress. Anders swore under his breath. For the first time since he had arrived to Nirn, he felt his mana weaken a bit as he focused on a powerful Mana Clash that would obliterate anything using magic or fueled by magic. At the same time, Alessia made a strangled sound as one of the draugrs managed to sink its blade into her shoulder.

Alessia looked back at Anders and the tunnel behind them. "Get back to the tunnel, we can hold them off there!" she cried, stabbing both blades into the draugr that had wounded her. It fell to the ground momentarily, then stood erect, its skeletal grin staying in Alessia's mind as she fought off other draugrs._ I have no choice_, she thought as she backed up to the tunnel with Anders behind her, swinging her blades feebly to knock the draugrs aside and knowing that they would soon be overwhelmed. "Stand back!" Alessia yelled, focusing on her gift from Nocturnal and releasing it, left hand raised. A purple light filled the room, and all the draugrs stopped attacking them and began to attack each other. Anders's jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered and sent out a Mana Clash spell that reached Potema, who was already in a weakened state, and actually made her reel backwards. Alessia then rushed forward for the killing blow, sinking her sword into the screeching wraith that had appeared at the end of the room.

Alessia knelt on the stone floor, all of her reserves depleted. Anders was quick to rush to her side, and apply a rejuvenating spell on her as soon as he felt his mana replenish. "Are you all right, sweetheart?" he murmured, the concern in his voice making it shake with emotion.

Alessia took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, I am...thank you," she said with a slight tremor in her voice as she rose, wandering towards the remains on a stone throne in the next room. "I guess we should pack this. Styrr will know what to do with them."

"What was that? I thought you said you don't do magic, except simple healing spells?" Anders asked.

Alessia paused as she unceremoniously shoved Potema's skull into her pack and looked back at him, a troubled expression on her face. "I can't. It's a...gift that I was given." Her face went from troubled to sad, and she looked down. "I...can't tell you more, Anders. I'm sorry."

Anders nodded. "It's ok." He took her in her arms, giving her a comforting embrace. "I understand. Let's go, then, shall we? There seems to be a way out ahead. I can see some light."

…

Elisif was overjoyed with the news, turning to Falk, her eyes twinkling. Falk smiled down at Alessia, offering her Proudspire Manor, adding that it was the Jarl who had insisted. Alessia thought about it, and nodded, then took out one of her heavier coin purses. She thought that it would be good to have property this far north, and kind of figured it would be a place for them to stay at if they needed to go to Winterhold, as Solitude was a lot closer than Honeyside or Breezehome. As soon as she had paid for everything, with the stipulation that a housecarl was _not _to be appointed for her, she smiled at them both and left towards the manor.

The place was beautiful, and she looked around, her eyes shining as she walked from room to room. Anders was very quiet, so she turned to him while they were in the basement looking at the arcane enchanter in the room.

"Is everything all right, Anders?"

Anders turned his brooding face in her direction, his eyes suspicious as he regarded her, which made her falter and take a step back.

"I'm just thinking about why you can't tell me about that spell you used. You said it was a gift. A gift from whom?" he asked, and Alessia saw the telltale flash of blue in his eyes and sighed.

"Anders..." she began, but the blue light didn't fade. "Justice? Do you remember me telling you about the Daedric Princes?"

The blue glowed even more brilliantly, and suddenly Anders's skin had cracks of blue all over as well. His voice boomed as he regarded her, and Alessia took two steps back cautiously.

"You lied to me?"

Alessia steeled herself, knowing that this was not Anders that she spoke to. "I never lied to you, spirit, nor would I lie to someone I care about," she replied, taking a step towards the glowing form of Anders. "If a god gave you a gift and told you to keep it secret, would you? Things aren't the same here as they are in Thedas," she countered, standing as tall as her small frame could.

The glow slowly faded away, and Anders came back. He shook his head as if to clear it and looked at Alessia, concern in his eyes. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" he was quick to ask.

Alessia sighed and relaxed. "No...but your friend wasn't very happy with me."

"I'm sorry," Anders said contritely, walking towards her. "He will probably do this on the surface more often than not. He does seem a lot more...mellow than he was back in Thedas though."

_Justice is not mellow! She lied to you!_

Anders shook his head. "No. This is...not the way I wanted to talk at all." He shut his eyes painfully and shook his head again.

"Is...he talking to you? He told me that I lied to you," Alessia said wearily.

"I can feel his thoughts as my own, but I know when he is talking, or suggesting things. I don't think you lied to me. You have your own reasons for not sharing things with me, and I can respect that. Our religions are different and this is a different place, after all."

Alessia took his hand in hers. "I need you to know this. What...stops me from telling you about that ability is that...it's...a gift from a god, and I swore to not reveal more than that. I care about you, and I would not hold things back from you unless I had to."

Anders nodded, bowing his head a little so he could press his forehead against hers. "It's all right. I understand," he whispered, his heart pounding. She had just told him she cared for him. He tried to tell her he felt that way too, but at the moment he could not. What if Justice hurt her? What if _he _hurt her? He couldn't stand to go through that.

"What is it?" Alessia whispered, noticing the sad look in his eyes. "Talk to me!"

Anders shook his head, a pout forming on his lips. "Nothing..."

Alessia pulled back from his embrace a little and raised an eyebrow. "Seems like _something_."

"I don't want you to get hurt. I – I care about you, too," Anders said quietly finally telling her how he felt, his eyes now dark with longing. "I - don't want to hurt you. I always end up hurting people because of Justice."

Alessia smiled up at him. "Both times I have talked to Justice, he has backed down when confronted with logic. Besides...what we're doing, what I have to do...either of us could very well be hurt or even die."

"But...I don't want you to get hurt. Ever," he pulled her close and kissed her passionately, his hands running up and down her back. "I don't want to lose you," he murmured in between kisses, his hands now on her waist.

"I don't think we'll make it to the master bedroom. We haven't even been there yet," Alessia chuckled.

Anders gave her a lopsided grin. "There's a bed right next to this room. I presume it's for your _housecarl," _he teased, his lips now trailing down her neck as he lifted her in his arms to reach it more easily.

Alessia giggled unexpectedly and wrapped her legs around Anders's waist.

_Disgusting._

But Justice retreated and left well enough alone.

For the time being at least.

…

That the bed was small did not seem to hinder them in the slightest. Anders fell on the bed, with her on top, straddling him. He ran his hands up and down her legs, short spurts of sparks making her shudder with pleasure, and she ended up pressing down on him, making him moan with pleasure. They continued to caress one another as much as they could over their clothing, each touch bringing them closer to passionate abandon. They lost track of where they were, and as Anders was turning her over to reach under her breast plate, they fell to the floor in a tangled heap of arms and legs, bursting out laughing at the same time.

"I really think we should go upstairs," Alessia said. Then without waiting for his reply, she got up and rushed ahead, yelling, "Catch me if you can!" Pieces of her armor clanged as they were thrown off, hitting against the walls of the stairway as she ran.

Anders smiled to himself and chased her up the steps. At the corner of the steps leading to the living room, he found her breastplate on the floor. He chuckled to himself, and continued up the staircase leading to the upper floor. Partway up the steps, he found one boot and then the other at the top of the staircase. He marched past the table set up as a dining space and entered the only other room, finding Alessia's pants and breast band in the doorway and Alessia herself sitting on her knees in the center of the bed, proud and beautiful in nothing but her smalls. He walked slowly toward her, a feral look in his warm brown eyes.

Alessia pouted, hooking her thumbs through her smalls and pulling them off in one sinuous movement. "Awww," she purred, tossing them at Anders. "I guess you caught me."

…

No light shone through the windows of the room as Anders blinked awake. The large bed was cold next to him, and he immediately sat up, wondering where Alessia was.

"I'm right here, sweetheart," she said softly, seemingly hearing his thoughts from a darkened corner of the room, her back to him. She had the sheet from the bed wrapped around her and was browsing through a bookcase. Alessia turned towards him as his stomach growled. "There's a roast on the spit; it should be done soon," she remarked, smiling.

He smiled back at her as she pulled a boar's hair brush from her pack and sauntered over to the bed. She dropped the sheet and at his suggestive look, murmured, "No," and shook the brush at him threateningly. Climbing into the bed, she stationed herself behind him and used her fingers to untangle his long blond hair, which was knotted and tangled from their previous lovemaking. Anders emitted small hisses when she pulled on the tangles, and she whispered softly to him in response. Soon, her fingers moved smoothly through his silky, soft hair and she picked up the brush.

Alessia pulled the brush through his hair, being sure to press hard enough to caress his scalp. After a few strokes, Anders hummed his appreciation and closed his eyes. The repeated caresses against his scalp almost lulled him back to sleep, and he was startled by Alessia's voice as she put down the brush and tied his mid-back length hair into a tail. "You have beautiful hair, Anders. I wish I could braid it," she said solemnly and rose from the bed, rummaging through a dresser and finding a shirt to wear.

"Why don't you?" he asked as she tossed him some clothes.

Alessia pulled the linen shirt over her head, looking down at its laces. She shrugged at the fact that most of her chest was showing, and poked at the new scar from the fight in the catacombs now puckered over her right breast, close to her shoulder. "Nord men plait their women's hair for them," she stated, matter-of-factly. "Last I checked, you're not a lady." She turned a playful gaze towards him and smiled. "Dinner's probably ready. Let's go."

…

Come morning, they made their way to the Blue Palace to say their goodbyes to Elisif. While she was sad to see them go, she bade them one last task: to put the horn of her belated husband at the Shrine of Talos. Alessia accepted the task with a raised brow. Elisif was working with the Empire, but wanted her husband's Nordic heritage preserved? She kept the comment to herself, and bowed to the Jarl, leaving the city of Solitude behind them.

It took two days of trudging through snow and then rain as they came farther south, but their tent was always warm. They managed to leave Torygg's war horn at a small altar of Talos close to Whiterun, and continued their journey. Late into the second day, they arrived at Riverwood, and Alessia eyed the single-floored inn with suspicion, but said nothing to Anders as they entered. She strolled up to the blond Breton who Alessia remembered from giving her a room the last time she was there, the day after the attack of the dragon on Helgen.

"I'd like to rent the attic room," Alessia said, studying the face of the woman in front of her.

The woman smiled briefly, "There is no attic room here, friend. I have another room you can rent if you wish."

Alessia nodded and waited for the woman to show them the room. She closed the door behind them as Anders sat on the bed.

"That woman…Delphine is her name. I know her from when I was here before..." Alessia paced the short distance of the room as she thought, then blinked hard, her eyes wide as she turned to him. "The way she looked me up and down…measuring me up as she spoke to me about the room...Anders, it was her! _She_ took the horn!"

…


	9. Chapter 9

_**First of all I want to thank all our reviewers: PheonRen, MB18932, KnightOfHolyLight, koguma and Golden Naginata. You all rock! :D**_

_**Both moosesaregreat and I have been having some health problems, therefore it took us a little longer for us to post this chapter. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we enjoyed writing it! There is a translation at the end of the chapter for the Greybeards' welcome and Alduin's conversation with the dragon and Alessia as well! :D **_

_**We also want to thank those of you who have favorited this fic and are now following it as well! It's all of you who motivate us to keep us writing, you know! And all your suggestions and feedback are greatly appreciated! :D **_

_**Bioware and Bethesda own! :D **_

Chapter 9

"She took the horn?" Anders asked. "Are you certain?'

Alessia nodded her head vehemently. "She was sizing me up like a side of beef to be butchered when I asked for the room."

At that moment, the door to the room opened and Delphine stepped inside. She was holding something in her hands, but Alessia paid no attention to it and she bristled visibly, her hand automatically falling on the hilt of her sword.

Delphine's eyes followed her movement and they narrowed. "Contrary to what you may be thinking right now, I am your friend, and I want to help you." The Breton quickly held out what looked like an elaborate war horn and gestured at Alessia for her to take it. Anders stood up, placing himself right next to Alessia, his frown turning into a scowl as soon as he saw the horn.

Alessia took the horn with her left hand, but kept her right hand on the hilt, eyeing the woman warily. Her icy blue eyes were fixed on Delphine's brown ones and she did not move.

"We must talk about this and other things," Delphine said in a matter-of-fact voice, suddenly turning to look at Anders. "…without your friend."

Alessia scoffed. "If you want to speak to me, he is coming too. After all," she said, glancing at the horn in her hand as she stashed it into her pack. "I have what I came for."

The Breton sighed, then nodded and motioned them to follow her. She led them to another room, and walked towards a wardrobe at the far right side. She turned slightly and asked Alessia to shut the door behind her, but it was Anders who turned to shut the door, while Alessia kept an eye on Delphine. Once the door was shut, Delphine touched the side of the wardrobe and it swung open, revealing a wooden staircase that led to a room below the inn.

They followed her down the stairs, and Delphine positioned herself on the other side of a heavy wooden table that occupied the center of the room. Alessia's eyes fell on the object that was lying on the table: a map of sorts, which looked suspiciously like the map on the tablet she had retrieved from Bleak Falls Barrow for the court mage of Dragonsreach in Whiterun. Her eyes snapped back to Delphine who was looking at her curiously.

"So," the woman spoke, "You are the Dragonborn?"

"The Greybeards seem to think so," Alessia snapped, her tone harsh and cold. Anders glanced at her wordlessly and could see she was seething. He had never seen her this angry before and it was very alluring to him. His eyes went back to the blond woman, and he felt Justice stir inside him and groaned inwardly.

"I know how this looks to you, but I am not your enemy as I said before," Delphine said as she paced across the length of the table.

"What do you want with me?" Alessia practically snarled.

"I didn't go to all this trouble on a whim. I needed to make sure it wasn't a Thalmor trap. I'm sure you realize that my giving you the horn doesn't make me your enemy. Believe it or not, I'm actually trying to help you."

"By stealing something that only I was to retrieve? I don't like this at all. Why all this secrecy? Explain yourself!" Alessia's hand on the hilt of her sword tightened and at the same time, Anders felt a surge of dislike for the blonde woman standing before them.

"I'll explain what I want, when I want, got it? You'd already be dead if I didn't like the look of you when you walked in here. But I had to know if the rumors about you were true…"

Alessia said nothing to this, and gave Anders a sidelong glance. Anders held her gaze and shook his head and Alessia turned back to Delphine. "I don't think you can find out if the rumors are true inside this room. How did you know about the horn? Why did you take it?"

"I knew the Greybeards would send you there if they thought you were Dragonborn. They're nothing if not predictable. When you showed up here, I knew you were the one the Greybeards sent. I still suspected it was part of some Thalmor plot though."

"What do the Thalmor have to do with all this?" Alessia shot back.

"The Thalmor and I are very old enemies. And if my suspicions are correct, they might have something to do with the dragons returning. But that isn't important right now. What's important is that you might be Dragonborn."

"Why are you looking for the Dragonborn? What's it to you?" Alessia asked.

Delphine crossed her arms. "We remember what most don't – that the Dragonborn is the ultimate dragonslayer. You're the only one that can kill a dragon permanently by devouring its soul. Can you do it? Can you devour a dragon's soul?"

"That's none of your business," Alessia said angrily.

"You're wrong. It _is _my business. You may be the only one that can stop the dragons, but it is my business to ensure that you are the Dragonborn and that the dragons are stopped," Delphine replied icily.

"Your business?" Alessia echoed. "Is there something you aren't telling me?"

"Highly unlikely, dear," Anders said quietly, his eyes locked on Delphine. "After all, how _could _you think that the person who took the horn isn't telling you something? Can't you tell that she is an open book and someone we should trust?"

The sarcasm in Anders's voice was not lost on Delphine who scowled, her eyes flashing angrily at the tall, blond man. Anders, however, did not flinch or move a muscle, but Alessia saw the familiar flash of blue which thankfully came and went almost instantaneously.

Delphine turned back to Alessia. "Dragons aren't just coming back; they're coming back to life. They weren't gone somewhere for all these years. They were dead, killed off centuries ago by my predecessors. Now something is happening to bring them back to life. And I need you to help me stop it."

"What makes you think that the dragons are coming back to life?" Alessia asked, the hand on her hilt relaxing slightly. If what this woman was saying was true, then it could only mean she was a Blade. Alessia knew her history well, and knew that the Blades had killed the dragons centuries ago. But she also knew that the Blades had sworn to protect the Emperor as well and had failed to do so when the last of the Septims had been assassinated under their very noses.

"I know they are. I've visited their ancient burial mounds and found them empty. And I've figured out where the next one will come back to life." At this, Alessia glanced briefly at the map on the table, which was not lost to Delphine. "We are going to go there, and you're going to kill that dragon. If you succeed, then I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"It was you, wasn't it? The 'associate' Farengar was talking about at Dragonsreach…" Alessia said. "That map on the table is the one on the tablet I retrieved."

Delphine nodded. "The dragonstone was a map of ancient dragon burial sites. I've looked at which ones are now empty. The pattern is pretty clear. It seems to be spreading from the southeast, down in the Jeralls near Riften. The one at Kynesgrove is next if the pattern holds and that is where we should be heading."

"I know where that is," Alessia said, her hand dropping from the hilt of her sword. Anders saw her relax and allowed himself to do the same. "But I have to go somewhere else first."

"Then I'll meet you at Kynesgrove. Don't waste time getting there."

…

Alessia and Anders exited the room first, and ordered a meal from the man standing behind the bar. As they went to sit at one of the large tables dominating the common room, she noticed an alchemist's table up against the wall, right next to the room they had just exited. She motioned Anders to have a seat on the bench next to the alchemist's table, instead. "I'm going to mix up some things while we wait," she said, a thoughtful look on her face. "We each need a Cure Disease potion because of our scuffle with the vampires in the catacombs - just in case. The rest of the potions I make can always be sold, if not used, and…it relaxes me. I need to think."

He nodded, knowing that there must be many things going on in her pretty head, and she began to pull ingredients out of her satchel, placing them in what seemed to him to be random piles on the table.

A few moments later, Delphine emerged from the room they had been in, decked out in armor. She told the man behind the bar to take over for her and that she may not be back for a while, giving Alessia a pointed look as she passed.

Alessia looked up, met Delphine's gaze and snorted, then went back to selecting ingredients. Anders watched closely, unknowing of what leaves, roots, fungi and miscellaneous things that she began to crush with the mortar and pestle. The healer in him yearned to know what she was using exactly, but he also knew how meditative the rhythmic grinding of herbs could be, and left her to her thoughts as they waited for their meal.

Soon, their meal arrived, placed on the plank in front of Anders that served as a table hewn into the wall above the bench he sat on. It took Alessia a moment to notice, but once she did, she poured one last concoction into the retort on the table. After making sure the flame beneath the retort was burning brightly, she sat next to Anders, handing him a small bottle filled with a greyish mixture.

"You should take this, but I warn you, it tastes like ash," she told him, giving him a small smile. "I'd drink it before we eat, so that the food and mead wash away the taste." She drank hers and smiled when Anders drank his and grimaced.

"I know you don't know what they are, but I think she's a Blade. If she's a Blade, then I'll need her help," Alessia said ruefully around a mouthful of buttered leeks. She stabbed her ham steak with more force than necessary as he dug into his food with gusto, but he caught her eye, questioning in between bites.

"I can tell you in detail or just an overview," she said, and he nodded at the last. "I do have some books back in Riften that you may like to read on it, amongst other things," she mumbled around a bite of her ham, then swallowed. "So, the Blades. They came to Cyrodiil in the First Era from Akavir and were renowned for their prowess in battle with their swords. Hence, the name 'The Blades'. They were always known as 'the Dragonguard' though, even before they became the Emperor's personal bodyguards, having been the force that hunted and cut down the left over dragons in the First Era. In the Third Era, not even two hundred years ago, they played a large part in pushing back Mehrunes Dagon during the Oblivion Crisis in Cyrodiil."

Anders swallowed and smiled at her. "Oblivion Crisis? Mehrunes Dagon? You're speaking in a foreign tongue, sweetheart."

Alessia nodded as she took a drink from her bottle of mead. "I know. I'm just thinking aloud, trying to figure all of this out," she said, patting his leg under the table. "There are many planes of Oblivion, one for each of the Daedric Princes, who I told you of before. Mehrunes Dagon is one of the Princes, and thought to have dominated our plane of existence in the past, opening portals here and there to his plane of Oblivion and letting the Daedra under his rule kill everyone. Here is what I'm not sure of," she said, polishing off her dinner. "The only thing that could permanently banish him was someone of the Septim line, with the dragon's blood, come from Tiber Septim…Talos, before he rose to godhood. The Septim line ruled the Empire for centuries - entire eras actually - and the last of that line died defeating Mehrunes Dagon, thus sending him back to Oblivion. Martin Septim, if I remember my history right, was not only a bastard, but a celibate monk. The Septim line carried the dragon blood, but it was wiped out centuries ago, when Martin died. But, according to the Greybeards, I have the dragon blood. Do the gods just bestow these things as they see fit?" She shook her head as she took another drink of mead, then sighed. "I don't think I want to know."

Anders nodded. "Sweetheart, if I was a god and saw you, I'd pick you for this, too." He gave her a wink, and Alessia ended up grinning. "So, it looks like we'll be seeing a lot of this woman if she is a Blade, am I right?"

Alessia nodded, a wistful look in her eyes, and then sighed. "They were regarded as the perfect dragonslayers once. Well, at least that is what history would like us to believe, anyhow."

Anders finished his meal and pushed his plate back. "So, what is it that we have to do first before meeting this woman at Kynesgrove?"

"Return the horn, of course. The Greybeards probably know I already have it, anyway. And I, for one, don't want to cross them!"

...

Not only was Arngeir pleased to see Alessia and the horn, but the rest of the brothers as well as they gathered around the main hall with smiles on their faces. They taught her the last word of the 'Unrelenting Force' shout, 'Dah', and were pleased when she managed to push back the targets they summoned to test her shout. Finally, Arngeir motioned her to the center of the main hall, and he and his three brothers formed a circle of sorts around her. Anders stood back, watching the scene before him with great interest. He recognized magic in the power of the shouts, but realized that it was a magic that was completely different from anything he had ever encountered before. He also noticed Justice was calm and thought that it was probably due to the fact that the power that was being displayed was extremely interesting to him as well.

"We will now formally welcome you and recognize you as Dragonborn," Arngeir announced.

As soon as these words were spoken, Alessia saw them lift their hands and begin their chant in what could only be the dragon tongue. She bowed her head and closed her eyes, resigned to the fate laid out before her. The ground moved beneath her feet and she knelt before them, taken aback as the chanting reverberated through her entire being. Anders felt the push against him, and swayed on his feet, trying to keep his balance.

**"Lingrah krosis saraan Strundu'ul, voth nid balaan klov praan nau," **the Greybeards chanted. After a few moments, their voices had faded away, and Anders regained his footing but Alessia stayed kneeling upon the floor. "**Naal Thu'umu, mu ofan nii nu, Dovahkiin, naal suleyk do Kaan, naal suleyk do Shor, ahrk naal suleyk do Atmorasewuth." **Alessia felt the power enter her very soul, and a warmth spread through her body; a feeling of belonging enveloping her. "**Meyz nu Ysmir, Dovahsebrom. Dahmaan daar rok."**

As these words were chanted, Alessia's eyes snapped open in understanding. The blood pulsing quickly through her veins _sang_ with the knowledge of the Dovah; the meanings of the words she had absorbed from the walls, the thoughts of the dragon whose soul she had absorbed outside Whiterun, even the chant of the Greybeards.

She _was_ the Dragonborn. She _was _the one. All her doubts and fears about her destiny dwindled to nothing, and for the first time in a very long time, she truly knew who she was, and what she had to do. She rose slowly from the floor, and with her head held high, her eyes sought out those of Anders, and held his gaze. Anders knew that somehow she had finally accepted her destiny and gave her a reassuring smile.

And when Alessia smiled back radiantly, her smile filled his heart with a warmth he had not felt in a long time...

…

They set out to Kynesgrove as soon as they had rested. Arngeir insisted on giving them some supplies and Alessia smiled and thanked him profusely before she left the main hall. As soon as they got to Ivarstead, Alessia paid the stable boy and they got on their horses, riding to the south.

"You're ok with being the Dragonborn now, aren't you?" Anders asked as soon as they had set camp for the night while they were sitting in front of their campfire.

Alessia turned the spit over the fire containing their dinner, then turned to him. "I don't know how to explain it, Anders. I was scared, and nervous. Then, I just..._understood_. I felt it. I can feel the dragon's blood in my veins and I know that it's true."

Anders nodded. "It was strong magic and power that was going on there," he mused. "I've never seen anything like it."

They fell silent for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Anders? I've told you some of what we believe here. What are the religious beliefs in Thedas? Is there only the one with the Maker?"

Anders gave her a smile. "The Maker created everything and we owe Him everything. He chose a mortal, Andraste, to help against the Tevinter Imperium. You see, they worshipped the Old Gods there, not the Maker. She even got the elves to side with her. She was quite a warrior, in spite of the rumors that she was a mage. I guess she learned how to fight to hide her magic." His brow furrowed. "The Tevinter Magisters wanted power, so the story goes, and they worshipped the Old Gods, which were depicted as dragons - and very powerful ones. They wanted to control the Golden City, which was where the Maker lived. The Maker was angry and cast them down to Thedas, and they became the first darkspawn, which if you remember are the creatures that live underground. When they come to the surface, it's because they've found one of the dragons - an Old God, and a Blight begins as they follow the Archdemon - the Old God - killing and tainting everything they touch."

"That doesn't bode well for me, really. Although, as far as I know, the dragons here aren't _Gods_." Alessia smiled. "I don't think you've ever told me, what is a Blight?"

Anders looked up to the night sky, and his gaze went to the twin moons of Nirn. "You know, the first thing that confirmed that I was in a different world altogether was the two moons." He turned back to Alessia and smiled. "Well, a Blight is when the Old God, which is Tainted by the Darkspawn, rises to the surface with an army of Darkspawn. They then proceed to kill all the human beings, elves and dwarves on the surface, in order to dominate the entire world of Thedas. Their blood is poison. I told you that later on, I'll probably die, didn't I? What I failed to mention is that I'll turn into a ghoulish darkspawn myself. This is because of the Taint in the blood that the wardens drink when they become Grey Wardens. The Taint is like a death sentence. It's only a matter of time before it will kill me after turning me into a ghoul. But that is a long way off, and longer still because of Justice, I think..."

Anders turned a sad gaze towards her, and Alessia didn't want to think now of what the future may hold for him. She was coming to care too much for him, but she thoroughly enjoyed it. Rather than speak of something sad, she caressed his arm and changed the subject. "The larger moon is called Masser, and the smaller one Secunda. You have yet to see the aurora; it makes them even more beautiful."

Anders gave her a wistful smile, aware of her attempt to relax him, and reached to pull her close into an embrace. He kissed the crown of her head, his gaze on the fire before them. "Of course, you know that the Blights in Thedas are caused by mages. The Magisters were powerful mages after all. Just one more thing to blame on the mages," he sighed. "I believe in the Maker well enough, just not too fervently. I'm not a very religious person, but I do admire Andraste."

Alessia nodded, and lifted her head slightly, so that she could gaze into his eyes. His grip on her tightened and his lips descended on hers. For a few moments, they forgot about everything that troubled them, content in holding and caressing each other. Soon the smell of roasted rabbit reached them, however, and Alessia broke away to serve dinner.

They washed in the nearby stream, then he took her hand and led her back to their tent. She was looking at him with lust, but there was something else in her eyes that night, something that Anders suddenly realized filled him with even more reassurance and warmth.

Their lovemaking was tender and gentle and they fell asleep in each other's arms.

…

Alessia started. Anders was flailing in the bedroll beside hers, turning his head from one side to the other, the half-light in the tent catching the sheen of perspiration on his forehead as he mumbled to himself. She sat up, and her hand darted to his chest as she started to soothe him, trying to wake him up.

"There - darkness..." Anders muttered.

Alessia shook him gently. "Anders, wake up," she whispered urgently. "You're having a nightmare!"

Anders turned and his voice rose. "Whispers...I can hear them!"

Alessia shook him again, but harder this time. "Please wake up, sweetheart!"

Anders gave a cry and sat up, his eyes flashing blue for a few moments. He sighed with relief as soon as he saw where he was and he sank back into the bedroll, his breathing uneven as he flung one of his arms over his eyes.

"I - I - thank you for waking me up," he breathed out. "I thought I wasn't going to have that nightmare ever again. It's been a while."

"Do you...want to tell me about it?" Alessia asked softly, as she brushed the hair from his brow.

Anders didn't say anything at first, and she thought he had fallen asleep. But then he spoke, his voice shaking with suppressed emotion. "It's dark. And I hear them whispering..."

"Hear who?"

"I - I don't know. I think it's the darkspawn, but I can't see them. And their chattering is in a language I don't understand. I suppose it could be the darkspawn. But, there are no darkspawn here, right? So I don't understand why it would be them..." Anders heard a few rustled movements, then felt Alessia wedging herself into his bedroll with him. His arms went around her as she laid her head on his chest.

"There aren't any darkspawn, Anders. And if there were, they'd have to deal with the Dovahkiin."

Anders chuckled his arms tightening slightly for a few moments. It felt so good to have her there, and he took a deep breath, her sweet scent drifting up to him, enveloping him. He felt warm and secure and was drifting off to sleep when she spoke again.

"I don't think you'll be having the same nightmare again tonight," she whispered softly, nudging closer and burrowing her face into his chest. "I think you were missing me," she half-joked.

"Hmmm," Anders managed. Soon his steady breathing was the only thing she could hear and she smiled to herself as she also drifted off to sleep.

…

It was raining heavily when they arrived at the small town of Kynesgrove, though the first indication of their arrival was a woman running up to them.

"You don't want to go up there! There's a dragon there!" The young woman screamed as she pointed towards the hill, her words punctuated by a roar in the distance.

Alessia immediately hopped off her horse, and grabbed the young girl by the shoulders before she could run. "Listen to me! Go to your home, find your family, and get them to Windhelm. Tell anyone you see to get out, NOW. Understand?"

Iddra nodded her head then sprinted to the nearby inn. Alessia and Anders left the horses near the inn and ran up the hill together, as Alessia pulled her bow from her shoulder and readied an arrow.

Upon arrival, the storm and the darkness was making it impossible to see clearly, so Anders conjured up an arcane shield for both of them, and Alessia spotted Delphine behind a rock. Up in the sky, the same black dragon that had interrupted her execution at Helgen was flapping its wings, as it looked down at the dragon mound on the ground, speaking in the Dragon tongue.

"Sahloknir, ziil gro dovah ulse!" the black Dragon growled, its voice grave and imperious. "Slen tiid vo!"

A great skeletal dragon rose from the mound and advanced towards the black dragon, its skull raised to the heavens.

"Alduin, thuri! Boaan tiid vokriiha suleyksejun kruziik?" the skeletal dragon called as the flesh started to appear over its bones.

The black dragon replied and turned its attention to Alessia, who was aiming directly at it. Before she loosed the arrow, however, the dragon inspected her and spoke, its voice full of contempt and venom.

"Ful, losei Dovahkiin? Zu'u koraav nid nol dov do hi." Then it spoke again, but this time Alessia could understand him, for he spoke in her language. "You do not even know our tongue, do you? Such arrogance, to dare take for yourself the name of Dovah." The black dragon, whom she knew was Alduin, for that is what the other dragon had called him, now turned back to the dragon that had crawled out of the mound. _Alduin, the World-Eater_, she thought, immediately knowing what he was from her books and also knowing not to take this lightly.

"Sahloknir, krii daar joorre!" Alduin roared. Alessia loosened her arrow at Alduin, but the dragon it had just resurrected rose and flapped its wings, throwing her off balance and she focused on him instead, cursing under her breath as she saw Alduin flying away.

Anders flung a electricity spell on Sahloknir, the dragon that was now looking at Alessia intently before it could attack her properly, giving her the opportunity to drop her bow and unsheathe her sword and dagger, swinging both at the dragon's neck.

The electricity spell had weakened the dragon considerably, and Alessia lunged at the dragon's underbelly, mortally wounding it. Anders sent out a Winter's Grasp spell that temporarily paralyzed it and Alessia leapt atop the giant beast, straddling its neck. It tried to throw her off, but she persevered, riding while it bucked. She managed to reach its head, ramming her sword down through its skull. It roared in pain, shuddering mightily as it died, throwing Alessia to the ground.

Anders rushed to her side, checking fervently for any wounds to heal, but there were none. The corpse of the dragon next to them crackled and burned away, flakes of skin rising in the heated air before dissipating as a golden light that enveloped Alessia. She stood still for a moment, closing her eyes as she listened to the knowledge the soul gave her, before shaking her head and smiling at Anders.

"So it's true! You really are Dragonborn!" came the cry from where Delphine stood, her sword still in her hand.

Alessia's smile turned into a snarl as she shoved her sword into its sheath with a snap and turned to face her. "That's it? You want to see what I can do and hide behind a bloody rock?" she sneered, stalking towards Delphine. "Your predecessors would be _fucking _ashamed of you, hiding from a dragon! COWARD!"

"I-I" Delphine stuttered, sheathing her own blade and slightly cowering at the sight of the Dovahkiin in all her wrath.

"You are the worst Blade I have ever heard of! You were considered the ultimate dragonslayers!" Alessia said, faltering in her tirade only by Anders's hand on her arm. "If you don't explain your actions right now…"

"How do you know I'm a Blade?" Delphine asked, recovering and taking a step forward, her haughty demeanor now back.

Alessia snickered and tossed her dagger in her hand, letting it flip over itself, then settle in her palm, over and over, then shook her head. "Don't toy with me, woman. I hail from Cyrodiil. What has been forgotten here is still spoken of there. I know of the Blades, and what they should be. You are a poor example," Alessia spat, shaking in anger.

Delphine scowled. "I had to make sure you were the Dragonborn. I also have an idea who might be behind the dragons returning."

"And?"

"I think the Thalmor are behind all this," Delphine said quickly. "Who else would benefit from the dragons' return? It's a way to keep all Nords under their control, keep them busy fighting the dragons."

There was some sense in what she said and Alessia calmed slightly, her icy blue eyes on Delphine's brown ones. "So you have a plan, then?"

"I need to check some things out, and make arrangements. Meet me in Riverwood as soon as you can. It may take a while to look into this, though..."

Alessia rolled her eyes. "No. Send for me in Riften when you actually know what you're doing."

Delphine's eyes narrowed briefly, but she nodded. "I'll send you a missive." Then, she turned to leave.

Alessia watched her go and turned back to Anders. "I can't stand her," she sighed.

Anders chuckled, as he put an arm around her shoulder. "Neither can I, my dear. Neither can I..."

...

_**Translation of the Greybeards' welcome to Alessia:**_

"_**Long has the Stormcrown languished, with no worthy brow to sit upon."**_

"_**By our breath we bestow it now to you in the name of Kyne, in the name of Shor, and in the name of Atmora of Old."**_

"_**You are now Ysmir, the Dragon of the North, hearken to it."**_

_**Translation of what Alduin says to the dragon and to Alessia:**_

_**Alduin: Sahloknir, ever-bound dragon spirit! Let your flesh be unrotten!**_

_**Sahloknir: Alduin, my overlord! An age past, did you not destroy the power of the ancient kings? **_

_**Alduin: Yes, Sahloknir, my trusted ally. (Turns to look at Alessia) **_

_**So, my false Dragonborn? I do not recognize you as a dragon. **_

_**Alduin again, but in English: You do not even know our tongue, do you? Such arrogance, to dare take for yourself the name of Dovah.**_

_**(Turns to Sahloknir)**_

_**Alduin: Sahloknir, kill these mortals!**_

…


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N from moosearegreat: Hey guys! Special thank you to **__**melgonzo, koguma, Golden Naginata, KnightOfHolyLight, and MB18932 for the reviews, and to everyone who has followed and favorited (yeah, we see you :D)!**_

_**So, since our heroes did a LOT of hard work in the last chapter, we thought that in addition to bringing some important things to light here, they needed to have some fun! Having said that, well…if you aren't into smut that is a bit more (a LOT more) -explicit- then you'll have to scroll past some of this chapter. They'll get back to work next chapter! :D**_

_**Also, to all of our American readers: Happy Thanksgiving!**_

Chapter 10

As they neared the city gates of Riften, Alessia suddenly pulled on the reins and hopped off her horse. Anders didn't think much of it, as she was forever stopping to get herbs for her potions, so he remained on the horse, waiting for her to get the leaves or flowers or whatever it was that she had seen, and looked around. They weren't far from the city gates, and from where he was he could see the first of three wooden guard towers that guarded the path up to the city gates.

"Anders, I have something to show you," she called, and Anders slid off his horse and walked the few steps to where she was standing next to the road that led up to Riften. He smiled at her, and she nodded, gesturing at him to take a look at the ground where she was pointing.

"What am I looking for?" he asked, suddenly very confused.

"This is where you fell, silly," Alessia smiled. "Didn't you want to come here?"

Anders did not reply, but fell on his knees to look through the leaves and ground.

"If you tell me what it is you're looking for, then maybe I can help? Dusk is coming and I want to be in Honeyside before it gets dark. It gets pitch black around here, what with the trees and bushes covering most of the ground."

"I don't know what I'm looking for," Anders replied as he stood up. "But there seems to be nothing there anyway. Come on, let's head to Honeyside."

No sooner he had finished uttering those words, when the red-orange of the setting sun fell on the forest ground he was standing on, and something caught the light and shone a bright orange.

He gave a strangled cry of excitement and fell on his knees again, but this time his hands went directly to the spot and he yelled, "Ow!" before he could pick up what he had found and show it to Alessia.

"That looks like a piece of a mirror," Alessia voiced his thoughts exactly. Anders nodded.

"A mirror was broken by the Templars who were after me in Thedas. The shards enveloped me and I only remember that suddenly I was literally off the ground and staring down at my would-be captors, who were looking up at the entire scene with their mouths hanging open."

"You mean you were suspended in the air?" Alessia asked. "Like flying?"

Anders smiled. "I was. But I was being taken higher and higher and then the pieces, or rather mirror shards, started to revolve around me and they surrounded me completely. I looked down and started to fall, so I braced myself, waiting to hit the stone ground, but that gave away and I was looking down at utter darkness. Then I fainted."

"That must be one heck of a mirror to do that when it's broken! Are all mirrors magical in Thedas?" Alessia wondered aloud, looking at the shard curiously.

"Well, if I'm right, this is a shard from a very special mirror. Nobody knows much about them, but it seems that they can transport people from one place to another. Or allow for some kind of communication. The Dalish elves seemed to believe that anyway..."

"So, you were transported here through the magic of that mirror? Is it some kind of transportation device, then?" Alessia inquired.

"I can't say. Not even Merrill could understand how to use it, although she knew more than anyone else."

"Merrill?"

"Do I detect a note of jealousy?" Anders flirted. Alessia just rolled her eyes and he smirked. "She's a Dalish elf, who was part of our team of misfits back in the city of Kirkwall, where I was before I came here. Don't worry, she really isn't my type, but I'll tell you about her and the rest of my companions in Kirkwall if you want me to."

"Later, maybe. Right now I was...er... _am _curious about the mirror," Alessia said, her voice low as she stared at the fragment in Anders's hand. "You know what it is, or if it can get you out of here, then?" The words were spoken in a monotone, but there was no mistake about what she was feeling at that moment. Alessia was sad, and Anders knew it.

"It's an Eluvian. And I don't know, but without a Dalish elf, I have no idea if it will even work. Besides, it's only a sliver." Anders stashed the piece he was holding in his pack, then stepped closer to her, taking her in his arms. She gave a sigh and Anders's heart felt suddenly heavy. The last thing he wanted was to cause her any pain.

"Looks like you're stuck with me, sweetheart," Anders grinned.

The hope in her eyes when she looked up made his heart summersault. Anders knew then that he was totally and completely smitten.

"Maker!" he murmured, as his lips descended on hers in a hungry, passionate kiss.

And then a dragon swooped down to attack them.

…

The battle was short and easily won. The guards in the watchtowers joined the fray, helping to subdue the dragon after Alessia's Unrelenting Force shout had stunned it while Anders had cast a powerful lightning spell on the beast .The guards were all astonished to hear the shout, and the stunned dragon was soon dead at their feet.

"What was that you did, Guildmaster? Was that shout-" a guard began to ask before his eyes grew wide as the dragon disintegrated before them, a golden light rising around the dragon's remains and surrounding Alessia as she absorbed its soul. "You...you're the Dragonborn!"

Alessia groaned and shook her head, leading her horse up the hill towards the stable, leaving the guardsmen behind. "Everyone in town will know in an hour," she grumbled.

"Maybe even less," Anders grinned and Alessia gave him a pointed look. "It's a joke, I swear!" he chuckled, raising his hands defensively.

Alessia grinned back. "I know. It's bad enough as Guildmaster, with everyone jumping to help me do things, give me things, needing me to fix things," she sighed, then handed off her reins to the stable boy. Anders turned toward the gates, but Alessia motioned him to follow her. She walked around the back of the stable and along the city's wall. At the point where the wall ended and the lake met the town was a small dock, with steps leading up to the back side of a house. "No need to actually go through the gates. I have a back door," she smiled as she walked up the steps.

"Charming," Anders mumbled as he followed her up the stairs and into the house.

…

Once inside, they dropped their packs beside the door. Turning to Anders, Alessia said, "I have a ton of ingredients that I need to use before they go bad. Want an alchemy lesson?"

"Would love that, sweetheart. But I'm sweating and so are you. Soon we'll both smell so much it will be hard to tell us apart from your smelly guild-mate, what was his name?"

"Dirge," Alessia snickered. "He might be smelly and kind of a jerk sometimes, but he's a good man."

"Ah, smelly good men. Now that's a novelty!" Anders remarked, causing Alessia to burst out laughing. "I can prepare a bath for you and myself. And...I'd like to cook for you if you don't mind..."

Alessia smiled and turned to pick up her satchel with her alchemy supplies. "My cooking is _that _bad, huh?"

"Noooo. I wouldn't say that. You _do _know how to use your herbs," Anders replied looking around innocently.

Alessia's smile grew wider and she gave him a quick kiss. "I'm going to go get started. Some of these take a while."

"Well, then, so am I. I'll take a bath and then prepare one for you. And I won't take 'no' for an answer when it is ready for you. You need to relax. A lot has happened lately, and I don't want you to wear yourself down."

Alessia chuckled. "Yes, Mother," she said, then headed to the basement.

Anders watched her go and got busy lugging the tub next to the huge bed in the room they had just entered. He took his bath, then used magic to get rid of the water and focused on an ice spell that filled the now empty tub with huge chunks of ice. A quick fire spell soon had the ice melted and steam rising above the hot water. He turned and went down the stairs to let Alessia know her bath was ready.

He found her in front of the alchemy table, busily crunching things with her mortar and pestle. She picked up a blue butterfly wing and tossed it in, unaware of Anders watching her. Humming to herself, she set the mortar down and dumped what was in the retort into the calcinator and quit humming long enough to grumble to herself. "Stupid nirnroot."

A pair of strong arms went around her and she leaned against Anders's chest, a happy sigh escaping her lips.

"Your bath is ready," Anders murmured softly into her ear, trailing kisses down the side of her neck.

"Thank you," Alessia whispered, then chuckled to herself and showed Anders her hands. Her fingertips now seemed to be dyed green. "I hate nirnroot."

"Nirnroot...what does it do?" Anders asked curiously, his arms tight around her small waist, his chin resting on top of her head as he peered over to get a better glimpse of her hands and what was on the alchemy table. .

"Poison, mostly. But, if I had more vampire dust, I could make an Invisibility potion. I used it all up for the Cure Disease potions we needed, though."

"Ah, the potion that tasted like rotten crabs, yes. I remember that," Anders chuckled. "So, vampire dust is an ingredient to cure diseases then?"

Alessia nodded, and dumped what was in the mortar into the retort and set it back over the flames. "It's strange that way. Kind of like how a snake's venom can be used as a cure if bitten by that certain snake."

Anders nodded, causing her head to bob up and down slightly. Alessia grumbled at the movement, as it made it harder to continue her work.

"Sorry!" Anders murmured contritely, then suddenly lifted her in his arms. "Sorry again," he chuckled. "But I told you I wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. Up to the bathtub now!"

Alessia giggled as she yelled, "NOOOOO! THE POTIONS!" and playfully struggled against him, laughing harder as Anders carried her up the stairs and set her down, his hands deftly unbuckling her chest piece.

"You've gotten better at that than I am!" Alessia grinned.

"I have a gifted memory, my dear. Once I learn something I never forget it." He gave her a crooked smile, and soon Alessia was standing in front of him in her breast band and smalls.

Seeing the look in Anders's eyes that she knew so well, she laughed and shook her finger at him. "I _have_ to take a bath, sir! A big, scary mage threatened me that I had to!" she admonished, then turned to the tub, removing the rest of her clothing and climbing in.

Anders was wearing only a towel around his waist, but Alessia focused on the water and washing herself, so he smiled and walked towards the roaring fire in the fireplace, determined to cook a nice meal for her. He busied himself filling a pot with water and put in some vegetables - after having peeled them - and a piece of meat, then looked for some spices. He added some salt and found a bowl full of some herbs that smelled like rosemary, so he added some of that too. He started to stir the thick soup, and the tantalizing smell of what was inside the pot reached his nose.

His towel began to slip but when he went to grab it, it was gone. He started and turned around to see Alessia using it to dry her hair. "You make a handsome towel rack, Anders."

Anders smiled. "That's not all I make," he said as he stepped close to her and took her in his arms. Sparks flew from his fingertips as he trailed his hand up and down her arms. He steered her carefully towards the bedroom, laying her gently on top of the furs on the bed.

Anders started to kiss her lips, then moved down to her jawline and trailed kisses to her breasts. The sparks now teased her nipples and Alessia soon found herself arching her back again and again as he caressed her. His mouth found and kissed each nipple as she moaned and writhed beneath him, his hands roaming restlessly over her naked, warm flesh.

He reached the dark red curls below her navel what seemed to her like a hundred years later, and she impatiently spread her legs for him, one hand stroking his erection and the other gripped tightly in his hair, urging his face closer to hers. Her eyes were dark with desire and longing as he gazed into his, silently pleading for him to enter her.

Anders shook his head. "Not yet," he murmured, and she let go of his hair reluctantly as he parted her folds and his tongue began to tease her nub, flicking back and forth. She gripped the furs of the bed in both hands, the soft hair bunching between her fingers as she made fists, raising her hips to meet his mouth.

He felt her convulse and cry out. Alessia had never experienced a release as sweet as the one she was experiencing now but she hardly had time to recover, for Anders was kissing her again, his tongue playfully battling hers.

His name formed on her lips like a chant when he sent the sparks up and down her body again, and she raked her fingernails down his chest, silently begging him to finish what he had started. He positioned himself at her entrance and she cried his name loudly as he buried himself inside her, all the way to the hilt.

"Alessia," he breathed, kissing her cheek, her neck and lips. "Alessia, my Alessia..."

Her vocabulary had been reduced to two words as well: "Please" and "Anders." He slowly pushed in and out of her, until both of them adopted a rhythm, and he quickened his pace.

"Anders! Please," she breathed, her hips moving up to meet his.

"Tell. Me. What. You. Need," he breathed out.

"Please!" Alessia cried, unable to articulate what she wanted, her nails digging into his shoulders as she met him thrust for thrust.

He gave a half-growl and pounded faster into her. Alessia cried out as her walls tightened around him and he followed her over the edge, unable to control himself any longer.

"My sweet Alessia, I - " Anders said breathlessly, then smiled down at her, his warm brown eyes looking deeply into her blue ones.

"Yes?" she whispered, a content smile upon her face as she gazed up at him.

Anders shook his head. "You are really something!" he murmured. "I think you're trying to kill me..."

Alessia chuckled and buried her hands into his long blond hair, kissing him sweetly. "No, I like you too much for that!"

"Are you sure? It looks like you really are set on killing me," Anders laughed, then got up out of bed, walking over to the pot to stir the contents.

She got up as well, taking a white shirt from the cupboard and putting it on, then finding one for Anders as well. He smiled when she gave it to him and trailed her finger down his back, not seeing the look of concern on her face as he pulled the shirt over his head.

"Anders…These scars," she murmured, her hand running lightly over his back over the white shirt.

Anders's smile vanished and a dark look came into his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Alessia began, but he shook his head.

"It's fine. You should know," he said quietly, as he sat on the chair at the small dining table in front of the fireplace. Alessia sat to the chair next to him and waited, taking his hand in hers.

"The sixth time I escaped, when I was captured and returned to the tower, I was sent into solitary confinement. They - they whipped me there."

"Whipped you? Who?" Alessia asked, her eyes flashing angrily. "Who did this to you?"

"The templars!" Anders exclaimed, his own eyes flashing with the telltale blue. He struggled to control himself, and he was breathing heavily by the time his shoulders slumped and he looked sadly at her, a pout forming on his lips.

"Oh, Anders," Alessia said softly, rising to embrace him. She held his head to her chest, stroking his hair. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry."

Anders held on to her, feeling her warmth invade his whole mind and soul. He gripped her tightly, and it seemed to Alessia that he was holding on for his dear life. She whispered comforting words to him; the understanding of what he went through and the need to console him filling her.

"It's all right," Anders said softly after a while of them holding each other. "I'll be all right. I just - holding you is very comforting," he added in a whisper. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me," Alessia said, pulling away slightly to cup his cheek in her palm. "I'm glad you landed here, and I can help you feel better."

"You have no idea how much you've helped already," he smiled up at her, then disentangled himself from her arms. "I suppose I have to go check on the soup? I have a feeling it's done by now."

Alessia smiled back at him and stepped out of the way so he could get up. "Probably. If it's any good, I'm keeping you for sure."

Anders burst out laughing. "I'm afraid that's not possible!" he teased, his eyes twinkling. "I already told you you're stuck with me."

They sat down as Anders set two bowls of hot soup on the table. Alessia took hers with a smile.

"Let me know if you like it?" Anders said, as he tried it himself. "Wow! I never knew soup tasted this good."

Alessia raised an eyebrow, looking at the soup dubiously before tasting it herself. It _was _very good. She took another bite, then dropped her spoon, making overly-exaggerated strangled sounds, grabbing her throat. She slumped over in the chair motionless for a moment, then slightly opened one eye, peering at Anders.

Anders burst out laughing. "You won't fool me that easily," he chuckled. "I tasted it first, so I know it's good. Also, I'm alive!"

"Spoilsport!" Alessia said, and went back to eating. "It is very good, though." She sighed comically. "I guess now I _do _have to keep you."

"I guess you do," Anders agreed, then focused on his bowl. He practically gobbled it up in a short time, then got back up to get a second bowl.

Alessia did the same, and Anders soon got up and got a third bowl, smiling sheepishly.

"Do you have a hollow leg that you're putting all that into?" Alessia joked.

"Um, no. Not really. Did I ever tell you about the infamous Grey Warden appetite?"

Alessia shook her head, taking her last bite of soup.

"Well, one of the things that happens to the Grey Wardens is that they develop an almost insatiable appetite. Not only for food, may I add..." Anders grinned. "Then, of course, there's the _notorious _Grey Warden stamina..."

Alessia laughed. "So what was that about how _I'm_going to kill you in the bedroom?"

"Ha!" Anders chuckled. "Well, that was just to throw you off!"

"Uh huh," Alessia said, rising to put her bowl in the wash basin in the corner. "Since we're here, I should head over to the Guild and see how everything is going. Want to come with me?"

"Is that a trick question? Of course I do!" Anders exclaimed.

They quickly dressed and left the house, and as they were walking towards the Temple of Mara, Anders took her hand in his, a smile playing on the corners of his lips.

…

As they neared the Temple, Alessia pulled Anders in a different direction. "There's more than one entrance. The one behind the Temple is technically the back way," she said quietly, leading him past the empty market stalls and down a flight of steps. "Just thought I'd show you the way, in case you ever need to come down here without me." They crossed the canal and entered a door that led into a dark tunnel. Torches ensconced on the walls sporadically lit the way. "This is called The Ratway and leads to The Ragged Flagon, which is kind of a bar just outside the Cistern, where we went the first time. This also leads to The Warrens as well. There are some very poor people who live there, some of them are pretty sick. Not just physically, their minds are gone."

The healer in Anders immediately surfaced. "Really? Would they mind if...say...a stranger were to heal their wounds?"

Alessia thought for a moment as she led them further into The Ratway, past the large stone pillars serving as the foundation of the town above them. "I'm not sure. As I said, some are mentally ill, and attack anyone on sight."

"I know spells that would calm them," Anders murmured. "I'd like a list of ingredients and their properties for potions, as well as the amounts you use to make them if you can. I would very much like to heal these people. I think I'd manage very well down here."

"Of course," Alessia said as they neared a door. "Although, I should make you learn the ingredients the way I did: 'Here, taste this! Does it hurt? Damage health!'"

Anders chuckled. "Practical lessons, you mean? I've done that before. A Grey Warden is also very resistant to disease - I don't know if I told you that already - so I think the ingredients wouldn't affect me as they do you."

"Feeling like you're on fire or being electrocuted for a moment isn't fun," she said, opening the door. "Behold! The Ragged Flagon!" she exclaimed, then turned to eye him suspiciously. "Wait…you said you were resistant to disease?"

"Uh, oh!" Anders exclaimed. "Am I in trouble?"

"No, but...why did you drink the Cure Disease potion I gave you? Why did you wait to tell me?"

"I wanted to taste it. That's also the 'healer' in me. I usually taste the potions I make and find ways to make them taste better for my patients." Anders turned to inspect The Ragged Flagon, and his gaze took in the scene before him. The place was so dark, that even the people sitting around on chairs and stools in the distance, across a large pool of water, looked 'shadowy'. One of his eyebrows raised and he turned to glance at Alessia. "How colorful," he murmured.

"Perfect for us sneaky sorts, huh?" she joked and began to lead him to the bar. "Along here are some merchants, mostly weapons and armor-" she began, then saw a hooded mage hunched over an alchemy table in the alcove next to them. "Oh! You have to meet Herluin!" she exclaimed, dragging Anders over to the man who was grumbling as he crushed ingredients.

Alessia tapped him on the shoulder, and he jumped, dropping the mortar on the table, scattering its contents. "Bloody thieves always sneaking up on me!" he exclaimed, turning. "What do you-Oh! It's you, child. Thought you ran away, never to return! Heh, heh."

"Not yet, I haven't," Alessia smiled at him, placing her hand on his arm warmly and gesturing towards Anders. "I thought you might want to meet the man whose life you saved."

Anders heard her words and gave the man a charming smile, a genuinely grateful look in his eyes. "Hello!" He extended his hand. "And thank you so much. I owe you my life!"

The old man looked Anders up and down, studying him before shaking his hand. "You're much taller when you're not on the ground. Hehheh," he chuckled, slowly walking around Anders. He poked Anders in the ribs. "No pain? Not a hitch when you breathe deeply?"

"No, I can breathe just fine," Anders smiled. "You did an extremely good job."

"Hmmmm..." Herluin continued to prod at Anders, and Alessia hid a smile behind her hand. Herluin came back around to face Anders. "Any problems remembering things?" he asked, then poked Anders on the forehead. "You were a bit concussed. Ha, HA!"

Anders was making an effort not to burst out laughing, but he managed to mumble his reply to Herluin. "No problems at all!"

The hooded old man nodded, satisfied with his exam and Anders's answers, then turned back to Alessia. "And you, child? I heard some news about you not even an hour ago. Eating dragon souls, eh? Ha!"

Alessia groaned and turned to Anders. "What did I tell you?" she grumbled, and turned back to Herluin. "Kind of...I guess. I'm the Dragonborn."

The old mage just nodded. "Always knew there was something special in there. Now, I must get back to my potions. Starting all over now since you startled my ingredients all over the table. Off with you!" He made 'shooing' motions at them, then turned away, going back to work.

"Rather eccentric, isn't he?" Anders laughed as he followed Alessia to the bar.

Alessia chuckled. "Yes, he is a bit nutty. I like him, though. I've learned much from him about alchemy," she said, passing another alcove, which housed the archery merchant. As Alessia made a mental note to see what he had for sale before they left Riften, she walked straight into a warm, smelly wall.

"Dragonborn, huh?" Dirge said in his usual growl.

"Shor's balls! Does everybody know?" Alessia exclaimed.

Dirge just nodded and looked down at her. After a moment, he clapped her on the shoulder and stepped out of the way. "You can do it," he grumbled, an uncomfortable look on his face.

Alessia gave him an astonished grin. "Thank you, Dirge," she said, then turned and continued to The Flagon. "That was odd," she told Anders as they crossed the bridge to the bar. "He's never that nice."

Anders chuckled. "Well, you did throw a dagger at his head."

Alessia laughed. "He's...I don't know how to explain it. He's that way because it's his job to protect the Guild, and that day, he was protecting me. It's like he's a wolf, always challenging the leadership of the pack; not because he wants to lead, but because by doing so it makes us stronger and more able to look after ourselves. And just like a wolf, he won't back down unless you show dominance. Kind of a weird analogy, I know."

Despite it being what most people would deem as a late hour, it was still early for members of the Guild and many people were sitting at the tables scattered in front of the bar. A shapely blond woman spotted them as they entered the light from the shadows, and waved her tankard at them. "Oh no! She's come to shout us to pieces!" she called, causing the rest of the patrons to turn and look at Alessia, shouting good-natured jests at her and whistling.

"Please don't shout in here, it echoes!" "I thought the Dragonborn would be taller!" "You can't pickpocket a dragon to death!"

Alessia blushed and smiled at her makeshift family. "I'm coming for you first, Vex!" she called back to the blond woman, earning laughs from the Guild members.

Brynjolf rose from his stool at the bar and approached them, nodding at Anders and giving Alessia a quick hug. "I knew you spoke true, lass. I didn't tell a soul, but Sapphire came running in a short time ago from The Bee and Barb. According to some guardsmen, you either shouted at a dragon and stunned it, then absorbed its soul while bathed in golden light...or you breathed fire right back at it and ate its corpse to absorb its soul," he said, grinning.

The last part made Alessia burst out laughing. "The second story is the true one," she said, still chuckling. "It tastes like chicken. Really!" she smiled, her face turning solemn. "I thought since I was close, I'd stop in and make sure things are running smoothly."

"They are. Plenty of work to be had, thanks to you," Brynjolf replied, looking over her head at a strange woman sitting up on the upraised portion of the bar that jutted out over the pool of water in the middle of the room. "Though...Delvin wanted to speak to you about something."

Alessia followed his gaze and raised an eyebrow at the sight of the woman in robes sitting alone, then turned back to Brynjolf. "I'll go do that."

She walked over to the table Delvin was sitting at, and Anders made to follow her but was stopped by a strong hand on his shoulder. He turned and found Brynjolf looking at him with an odd expression on his face. "Not you, lad. You and I need to talk."

...

Alessia sat across from Delvin and grabbed his tankard of ale, taking a drink. "Well, I 'spose that counts for me buying the Dragonborn a drink then, eh?" Delvin said, smiling.

She nodded and eyed the stranger on the platform. "Brynjolf said you needed to talk to me?"

"Aye," he said, turning in his seat to look at the hooded figure for a moment before continuing. "She just showed up one day. Says her name is Galathil, and that she used to work for the upper class. I can believe the last part, the way she looks down her nose at everyone. Keeps to herself mostly, just sits there and reads."

"So what's the problem?" she asked, taking another drink.

"Says that for a thousand septims, she can change your appearance permanently," the bald man replied, and Alessia choked on her ale.

She sputtered and coughed for a moment, then regained her composure. "Seriously?" she asked. He nodded. "Can she, or is she just crazy?"

Delvin shrugged. "Don't know. None of us want to try just to have her run off with our gold. What do you want us to do?"

Alessia thought for a moment, watching the woman. "If she's not causing any trouble, then leave her be. But, if rumors of her spread topside and bring people down here poking around, kick her out."

"You're the boss," he replied and rose from his seat. He pointed at the tankard in her hand. "Want another one?"

Alessia looked around the bar, but didn't see Anders. _Maybe he's off talking about 'magey' things with Herluin. _"Sure, why not?"

As Delvin left to get more ale, her brow furrowed as she realized that she hadn't seen Brynjolf, either.

...

Anders sat on the chair when Brynjolf asked him to and waited patiently for him to start talking. He was staring at Anders with the same odd expression on his face, which made him a bit uncomfortable. From where they were sitting, Anders could not see Alessia, and this bothered him.

"I saw the way you were looking at Alessia, lad. Before you say anything, I was young once, too. She is a good lass and I love her like my own flesh and blood," Brynjolf said, his voice so low, it was a rumble, his arms crossed over his chest as he stood in front of Anders. "I have to ask you what your intentions are. If you hurt her in any way, I _will_ hunt you down."

Anders eyebrows flew to his hairline and he felt Justice stir inside him. He started to panic. If Justice made an appearance now, it would be bad. Not only was this man an important figure in the place where he hoped to start healing again in the near future, but he was also a father figure to Alessia. He knew that he had to be on his best behavior. But when he opened his mouth, the words that came tumbling out caused him to groan inwardly. Stupid emotions getting in the way once again!

"I don't appreciate being put in a dark corner and confronted in this matter."

Brynjolf gave him a slow smile. It had nothing to do with what a smile was associated with, however. Anders found himself wondering that if a snake would smile, it would look like the smile Brynjolf was giving him at that moment. Then he suddenly realized that the feral smile crossing Brynjolf's face was meant to intimidate him, trying to scare him away from hurting someone that he held dear.

"I've asked you a question. I'll repeat it once again, and you _will_ answer it: What are your intentions?"

"I don't want to hurt her in any way," Anders shot back, his panic turning to anger, which he fought to keep under control.

Brynjolf said nothing to this, but continued to stare at him with one of the coldest expressions Anders had seen so far. He understood, but Brynjolf's stare was doing nothing to help him control his emotions.

_He is dangerous. We must strike him down. _

Anders shook his head, his eyes silently pleading. Brynjolf mistook the silent plea as one directed at him and began talking.

"There is no need to be afraid if your intentions are honorable, lad. And I won't hurt you now. I can tell that she thinks too highly of you for me to make that mistake. But I swear to you, I _will_ kill you if you hurt her…and, you'll never see me coming."

At that moment, Alessia made an appearance.

"There you are!" she exclaimed, hurrying over to Anders. She noticed the tense atmosphere and the way they were glaring at each other, and she turned to Brynjolf immediately, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"What in Oblivion is going on here?" she demanded, her eyes flashing angrily at Brynjolf.

"Nothing to worry your pretty head about, lass. We were simply getting to know each other," Brynjolf hurried to say, giving her a wink and a charming smile.

Alessia quickly turned to Anders and he gave her a quick smile, then turned his attention on Brynjolf again.

"Oh, by the Nine! Don't tell me you two are fighting! Brynjolf, I have told you hundreds of times, I know how to take care of myself!" she said, stomping her foot, albeit childishly, to emphasize her words.

"Aye. You are the Dragonborn, lass. I know that you can take care of yourself very well."

"We'd better go," Alessia said to Anders. "We have things to do."

"Of course, lass," Brynjolf said, embracing her. "Walk with the shadows, _love,_" he murmured and calmly walked away, a smile blooming on his face as he turned back to look at Anders. He disappeared into the shadows and Anders stood up. He smiled at her automatically and she led him towards the Flagon again. It was clear to her that Anders was visibly upset and she worried that Justice might make an appearance.

As they reached the door to The Ratway, Alessia opened the door and before Anders could follow her, Brynjolf stepped out of the shadows behind Anders. He whispered something to Anders and quickly disappeared into the shadows again.

"What was that? I heard something behind us!" Alessia turned.

"Nothing," Anders lied.

But Brynjolf's words still burned in Anders's brain.

"You'll never see me coming, lad. Treat her well…"

…


	11. Chapter 11

_**Thank you so much PheonRen, Graymalkyn, Golden Naginata, koguma, KnightOfHolyLight, melgonzo, and MB18932 for your awesome reviews! And yes, 'Guest', Anders will go to the College of Winterhold! :D Thanks also to all of you who have put this fic in your list of favorites and also to those who are now following it! :D **_

_**I've noticed that this crazy format sometimes takes words in italics and doesn't space them properly, so I'll try my best to put a space in where necessary. Sorry if I miss a couple! **_

_**As usual, our disclaimer: Bioware and Bethesda own everything! We solemnly swear to this! :D **_

Chapter 11

Alessia frowned. The soup that Anders had made before they left, while delicious, wasn't exactly filling so they had stopped by the Bee and Barb for more to eat after leaving the Flagon. Alessia staved off the questioning people and glances, people wondering about her battle with the dragon, with tact and grace. Anders, however, had been too quiet and ate his dinner mechanically, his eyes on his plate. He was wearing a frown that did not seem to go away. Once they were done eating, Alessia waved to Keerava as they left the inn. Surprisingly, he took her hand in his as they made their way to Honeyside.

Once inside, Anders washed up, then took off his boots and sat on the huge bed that they shared.

"Anders," Alessia said in a low voice. "I think we have to talk. You seem upset and it isn't right for you to keep whatever is bothering you away from me."

Anders sighed and bowed his head. "What if I don't want to talk about it," he countered. "What if I just want to sleep for a change, and not talk?" He stood up suddenly, taking off his feather-pauldroned coat and turned to Alessia, his eyes dark and brooding.

Alessia shook her head, knowing that something was really wrong and not backing down. "Are you sure you'll be able to sleep like this?"

"I - I can try…"

"All right. I'll make you a deal," Alessia said, wandering closer and tilting her head as she looked up into his eyes. "If you can't sleep, we talk. Does that sound like a fair deal to you?"

Anders smiled, and it was genuine this time. "You know what's going to happen don't you? You realize that I'll be tossing and turning and eventually get up, right? Or I might just lie on my side of the bed and stare into the darkness, my eyes wide open."

Alessia giggled unexpectedly. "My guess is that you'll do the second thing, if only to try to fool me into thinking you are asleep."

"You minx! I guess I can't keep anything from you, can I?" Anders smiled as he tossed his coat over the dresser and sat on the bed again.

"Look. I know how overprotective Brynjolf can be, Anders. I'm sure once he gets to know you he'll even apologize."

"What makes you think he's said anything that warrants an apology?"

"He doesn't know you," Alessia replied, knowing that she had hit the root of the problem, a smile blooming on her face. "And he probably wants you to keep your distance or something. Like I said, he is terribly overprotective."

"But he's _right _to be overprotective. I _can_ hurt you," Anders said, a tremor in his voice. "And I don't want to. Maybe you _should _stay away from me. You'd be a lot safer…"

Alessia burst out laughing and Anders's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, Anders," she said as soon as she could speak, cupping his cheek in her palm and leaning closer. "I could die tomorrow eaten by a dragon, surely, for I'm the Dragonborn, and you think I would be safer without you around? Who'd heal my wounds if the worst happened?" she asked, grazing her thumb over his cheek and smiling.

"You have…a fair point," Anders concluded, his brow furrowed in thought.

"The point here is that I refuse to believe you would harm me. Not even Justice has managed to harm me so far anyway," she whispered. Climbing onto his lap, she put her arms around his neck, her eyes twinkling like twin stars. "Now, how about you stop believing you are 'bad' and 'dangerous' for me?"

But Anders still looked worried as he gazed down at her. "Justice may be lulled by the lyrium in Nirn, but that doesn't make him less dangerous."

"I've seen what Justice can do, Anders. Like I said before, I've confronted him and he's made no move to kill me."

"So far, yes," Anders said quietly.

"We can't just say something is dangerous and avoid it because of the danger, Anders. If that is the case, then we should probably lock our doors and never leave the house again, because there are so many unsafe things out there that can kill us in a few moments. Living in fear is not the life for me, nor for you, might I add…"

Anders finally let out a chuckle. "True. And very true at that." Alessia was now running her hands through his hair, deftly plucking out the tie that was holding it back and throwing it clear across the room.

"Have I mentioned that I love your hair?" she murmured as her lips sought his.

"Mmm…not in the last few hours," Anders whispered back, his lips inches away from hers.

"I see I'll have to repeat myself then," Alessia managed to say.

He kissed her, and she could feel him smile as they kissed.

"I…love…repetitions," Anders said in between kisses. Alessia gave him a cheeky grin and with one hand, pushed him back onto the bed. She began to unbuckle her armor, but Anders's hands stilled hers and he chuckled. "After all, practice makes perfect, doesn't it?"

…

It took two more days in Riften before Alessia received word from Delphine and they immediately set out for Riverwood. The trip there was uneventful and rainy, and they soon found themselves walking into the Sleeping Giant in Riverwood. Alessia sought out Delphine, who was behind the bar and nodded to her before entering the room with the hidden doorway. They followed the steps down into the room and waited for Delphine, who showed up a few minutes later.

"I've managed to find a way for you to 'visit' the Thalmor Embassy near Solitude. You know where it is, right?" Delphine said, folding her arms over her chest.

Alessia nodded, leaning nonchalantly against the table, a small smile on her face.

"I have a contact there. His name is Malborn. He is loyal because he really hates the Thalmor. They killed his entire family back in Valenwood. He works at the Embassy. The Ambassador throws parties for the nobles. I've secured an invitation for you to enter as a guest. Malborn will be serving the drinks there and will get you into the rest of the compound. You _could _sneak inside, but the idea here is that you find documents, or any evidence of the Thalmor behind the dragons returning to Skyrim."

Alessia's smile grew as she gazed over at Anders with a raised brow. "Sneaking in won't be a problem, Delphine."

Delphine bristled visibly, but when she spoke she did not acknowledge Alessia's words. "Your invitation is genuine, so you won't have a problem at the door where the party is taking place. Just find the evidence and get out. Malborn will first be waiting for you at the Winking Skeever inn in Solitude. You should talk to him about what you want brought into the Embassy and give it to him because he will be giving it back to you once you are inside. Any questions?"

Alessia shook her head. "Nope. Sounds pretty easy, actually."

Delphine rolled her eyes. "I'll be at the windmill in Solitude, waiting for you after you speak to Malborn. I can take your things...well, whatever you carry in your pack, and give them back to you later, when you are done. They will be in a chest here. That one as a matter of fact," she pointed to a chest in the corner of the room.

Alessia smiled once again, crossing her arms across her chest. "That won't be necessary, though I thank you for your concern for my things. Anything else?"

"Just try to get evidence that implicates the Thalmor, and keep out of trouble. Your...companion cannot go with you, you'll be doing this alone."

Anders's eyebrows flew to his hairline, his eyes instantly on Alessia. She glanced at him briefly and saw he was worried.

She gave him a reassuring smile. "Breaking in and stealing evidence shouldn't be a problem for me, right?"

He nodded and gave her a small smile, but he still looked uneasy.

"Well, if there is nothing else, I'm going to get to Solitude. Don't dawdle," Delphine grumbled and without waiting for an answer, spun on her heel and left the room.

As soon as she was gone, Alessia made her way over to Anders and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I can do this, sweetheart. This is what I do for a living, after all."

"I know. But that doesn't keep me from worrying about you," Anders said, concern still etched all over his face. He held her closely for a few moments before she leaned back to look up into his eyes.

"I suppose we should be on our way," Alessia said, taking his hand in hers and leading him up the steps. "Did she really think I would hand over all of my things to _her_?" she snorted. "Not if she was the last person in Skyrim!"

...

Alessia's eyes snapped open, peering around the darkness of their tent. Her hand went to her dagger as she studied the wavering light from the fire over the canvas walls. A shadow moved outside the tent, and she quietly shook Anders awake. "There's something outside," she mouthed silently as she rose to a crouch, slowly pulling her sword from its sheath next to their bedrolls.

Anders sat up and quickly got his staff, following her crouching movements, not making a sound. He blinked several times, and rubbed his eyes, but a noise coming from outside made him jerk to attention. That sounded like a dog growling. Was it a wolf that was prowling about, trying to feast on the remnants of their dinner?

Alessia held an arm out in front of him, waiting for another indication of what it was exactly. A low voice spoke outside the tent and a man-shaped shadow appeared across the canvas. "There were two that I saw, one for each of us to feed."

She mouthed the word "Fire" to Anders and he nodded. She burst from the tent, sword and dagger slashing at the ashen-skinned man directly outside. Her dagger met the man's throat, her sword slicing his belly and as the vampire fell to the ground, she turned to survey the scene. Anders rushed out behind her, his eyes falling on two large dogs that were crouching to leap on Alessia. He flung a fireball out at them, and swerved to avoid a second vampire jumping at him from the darkness.

Alessia ignored the now flaming hounds, spinning around to see the vampire closing in on Anders. Without thinking, she flung her dagger, hitting the man squarely in the chest. He slowed but did not stop and Alessia ran towards him, prepared to meet him in defense of Anders.

"Andraste's flaming knickers!" Anders yelled. Alessia saw him concentrating for a spell and slowed her advance on the vampire. The vampire was flung back several feet away, and she grinned.

"Nice one!"

Anders smiled back at her, then flung another fireball at the vampire, incinerating him instantly.

Alessia looked back to see the hounds now in burnt heaps on the ground. "These things are really starting to get on my nerves," she said wearily.

"I agree," Anders murmured back, then looked up at the horizon. "It's nearly daybreak as it is. Should we pack up and continue our journey?"

Alessia paused as she was gathering some of the vampire's remains into a vial and squinted at the sky. "Might as well," she sighed, continuing her work and moving along to the next pile of ashes. "Looks like it's going to rain even more."

"Wonderful," Anders deadpanned. "I was starting to miss being soaked to the bone."

…

It continued to rain all through their journey to Solitude, slowing them down, their horses trudging through the mud that used to be the dirt road. When they left their horses at the stable, Alessia spotted a hooded figure standing next to a wagon at the windmill and smirked to herself. They made their way to the city gates in the pouring rain, through the storm-darkened streets completely devoid of people, and finally walked up the steps that led to Proudspire Manor.

Alessia and Anders stomped on the doormat, the water practically pouring out of their clothes over the mat at the door. "Sorry you had to get here in the springtime," Alessia said as she peeled off her armor. "I suppose you should be glad you didn't get here in the winter or you would have been an icicle when I found you."

"Springtime?" Anders said, making his way to the stairs. "Ha! Never really thought that spring could be so wet! Let's hurry up and start a fire first of all. We should get dry and warm then we can fix ourselves some nice, hot soup."

Alessia nodded, then grinned at him. "Well, it could take a few minutes for me to find my flint to start the fire, Mister Mage."

Anders wiggled his fingers at her. "No need, my dear. Instant fire, coming right up!"

Alessia giggled as the hearth roared to life. "I knew I kept you around for a reason," she winked.

Anders laughed and busied himself opening the wardrobe closest to him. He found a couple of towels and threw one to her. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he padded down to light a fire downstairs, and put a pot of water over it, then turned to look for vegetables to peel and cut for the soup.

Alessia followed him as she toweled herself dry, then looked down at the wet leather armor in her hands and grimaced. "Would you mind starting our dinner? It almost killed me before, but I have to dry and oil this or it will warp," she grinned.

"You just love my soup," Anders chuckled. "Admit it!"

"Nope! Besides, this armor has to be in peak condition. It keeps me sneaky," Alessia chuckled as she wrapped a towel around herself, then sat on the bench next to the table to dry her armor with another she had taken from the cupboard. They both fell into a comfortable silence as they focused on their tasks. Anders finished putting all the vegetables he could find into the soup and walked over to the entrance, picking up his wet coat and clothes, then automatically dried them using magic, glancing at her with an amused expression on his face. .

Alessia glared at him. "You couldn't do that for _my_ things? Your soup isn't _that _good."

Anders laughed and walked over to where she was sitting, then placed his hands over the armor she was holding. Almost instantly, the armor suddenly felt dry to Alessia, and she looked up at him, her eyes practically dancing.

"Now all you have to do is oil it, my lady," he said in a soft voice. "And we have some time to ourselves before the soup is done."

"What, no magic to do that too?" Alessia purred as she rose, the towel covering her dropping to the floor. "For shame."

"There _is _a spell for that, but...I thought you might like to...go through the movements..." Anders said, bending down to trail kisses down her neck, his warm hands all over her.

"Would you rather I oil the leather, or-" Alessia began, but was cut off by a passionate kiss. After a few moments, she broke away gasping for breath. "That's what I thought."

…

A few hours later, Alessia turned to Anders. "I have something for you, so you won't get bored while I'm gone," she twinkled, as she made her way down to the basement.

Anders followed her down, curious to say the least, and a slow smile began to form on the corners of his mouth when she stopped in front of the alchemy table. She handed him a piece of paper. "Here is a list of ingredients needed for healing potions, cure disease and cure poison, even potions for a bit of immunity against certain things," she began. "I've also included a description of each ingredient so hopefully you don't get confused. But just in case, I'll show you where the ingredients that you'll need are, so that it is easier for you." She led him around the room, pointing to different ingredients on the shelves and in the chest.

"Now, the fun part. The table," Alessia said, leading him back over to it. "I'm sure you have the mortar and pestle down, so no need to explain that. Next comes the retort." She pointed to a small glass cylinder sitting over what would normally be a flame. "You can mush all the ingredients you want into the mortar but it won't matter without the rest. Ingredients here have attributes that can both be positive or negative, depending on what they're combined with." She looked over to Anders to see if he understood.

"I used to make my potions back in Kirkwall," Anders smiled. "It's the ingredients I have to memorize."

Alessia snuggled against him. "You're an easy student. So, the retort enhances the positive effects of more than one ingredient, the ones that...agree. Restore health plus restore health, right? Well, the calcinator enhances ALL effects, regardless of whether you want to make a magicka potion, and one of the ingredients can damage it. You have to be careful. The alembic," she said, pointing to a glass piece with two large round areas, connected by a tube. "This will decrease the negative side effects of your potions. Say you have two things that make a health potion but one can also cause shock damage if combined with something else...this piece will make sure that what you make is exactly what you're wanting to make."

She turned to Anders, who was watching her intently, his eyes warm and twinkling.

"What? Do you need me to explain it again?"

"No. I brewed all my potions back in Kirkwall. I'm extremely familiar with all the instruments that make up an alchemy table and know how to use them fairly well. Though I had to save coin to get them when I first arrived in Kirkwall."

"Why didn't you interrupt me to tell me this, then? We could have talked about the ingredients instead," Alessia frowned prettily.

Anders took her in his arms. "And miss the opportunity of you teaching me something? Never!" he exclaimed, his eyes dark with longing and something else, which made her heart skip a beat. "Be careful out there, will you?" he whispered.

"I always am with things like this, Anders. It's a job, like many other things I've done...I'm more worried about pretending to be a noble than the rest of it," she said, cuddling her head against his chest. "I'll be okay."

"You could use the rain to your advantage. Wear a cloak over your clothes. The hood will cover your ears, sweetheart..." Anders murmured.

Alessia smiled into his shirt. "I'm way ahead of you, dear. The Thalmor ambassador can't see both my face and ears or she'll easily find out who I am. I'm practiced in hiding that," she mumbled, reaching a hand up to poke at one of her long ears.

Anders nodded and gave her a kiss. "Go get it over with, then, and be careful," he said, concern written all over his face. "Hurry back to me. I'll be waiting."

Alessia kissed him again, then turned out of his embrace. She smiled at him, her face lighting up. "No need to wait up for me. We both know this is what I was made for," she winked. "I'll be back before you know it."

…

Alessia arrived at the Winking Skeever a short time after, and not knowing what Malborn looked like, turned to the Argonian in the alcove. They stared at each other for a moment, then Alessia pulled back her hood. "Malborn," she stated as she looked around the bar.

"The Bosmer in the corner," the blue and green scaled man replied, raising a scaled brow.

Alessia ignored Gulum-Ei's questioning glance, and used the newly acquired vampire dust to make a few potions at the table in the corner, then sat down across from Malborn. "I've just come from Riverwood," she said glibly, pushing a fur-wrapped bundle containing her armor, weapons, a few potions and lockpicks across the table.

The Bosmer stared at her momentarily, gauging her, then nodded. "Is this all?"

Alessia nodded. "Please be careful with those things", she said, looking down at the table. "I'm...sorry about Valenwood. I may not look it, but my blood is half Bosmer."

Malborn sneered. "So, a half breed..." he began before he saw the determined look in her eyes, and realized her apology was genuine. "Your things will be waiting for you. Just...do what you can to take them out," he smirked, then rose and left the inn.

…

"You have _got _to be kidding me," Alessia stated, her angry glare only slightly masked by her heavy cloak against the continuing downpour. Delphine shrugged, pushing the waxed-paper wrapped bundle towards Alessia, protecting the dress from the rain.

Alessia raised the corner of the paper again. "Really? I have to dress as a noble and _this _is what you choose?" she asked, and Delphine smiled evilly. Alessia shook her head and began to change her clothes, the windmill above them blocking the rain. "I hate you."

…

Alessia rolled her eyes as the slightly drunk Redguard standing in line with her kept talking. She gave him curt answers, still angry with the fact that under her fur cloak was a gaudy gold, olive green and pink monstrosity of a gown, and showed the guards her invitation when they reached the Thalmor compound - not happy about not having any weapons as the guards looked her over. Shortly, they let her enter and the Thalmor ambassador herself, Elenwen, accosted her right after opening the door.

Elenwen was tall, lithe, and golden skinned, as were most Altmer...but Alessia saw the look in her eyes, calculating everything.

"And who are you?" the woman asked, putting Alessia on point.

Alessia smiled prettily. "No one compared to you, my lady," she curtsied, content in her quick thinking.

Elenwen looked down her nose at Alessia. "I can't see your face clearly with your cloak."

Alessia paused. "It's raining and I-" she began, but was interrupted by Malborn poking his head over the bar.

"We're out of mead, Ambassador," Malborn hurried to call from the bar, making Elenwen turn to look at him. Alessia took advantage of this and swept past the woman, her eyes glancing at the people in the great hall. The Ambassador then turned back to her guests, forgetting Alessia momentarily.

_I need a distraction_. Alessia continued to gaze around the room, her eyes falling on an extremely well-dressed woman sitting in the corner. She smiled to herself as she made her way over to the bench that the woman sat on. "Maven," she said with a slight inclination of her head, sidling over to stand next to her.

The woman looked up with a start and recognized her immediately. "Alessia," Maven Black-Briar smiled, sickeningly sweet. "Whatever are you doing here?"

Alessia rolled her eyes. "You know who I am. What else would I be doing here?"

Maven sighed, running a hand through her perfectly coiffed hair. "Causing trouble, I suppose."

Thunderclouds grew over Alessia's brow as she glared at the woman next to her. "Like I've done for you multiple times in the past." She looked around and noticed that no one was looking at them, so she leveled her face to Maven's, grasping the woman's gown in her fist. "You and I both know that you _need_me to keep your meadery afloat. Make a scene, cause a distraction, you didn't talk to me. Understand?"

Maven gulped loudly and nodded, smoothing her hair when Alessia let go of her gown. "So uncouth, as ever," she grumbled as she stood. Alessia took to the shadows as Maven called for everyone's attention, then made her way over to Malborn. "I need my armor and weapons," she whispered, watching Maven's antics.

Malborn nodded and took her back behind the bar, into the kitchen. They were stopped for a moment by the Khajiit cook, but with a threat from Malborn about her problem with moon sugar, the cook let them pass.

In a darkened passage with a door at the end sat a chest. "There are your things," he grumbled.

Alessia pulled her armor out of the chest and admonished Malborn to turn around as she changed. "Once you go through this door, I lock it. No turning back," he mumbled. "Do us proud."

"I know, and I will," Alessia said, now fully dressed in her Nightingale armor. She holstered her weapons and turned Malborn towards her. "For Valenwood. For all of the Empire," she whispered, clasping hands with him.

With a final nod, she pulled her mask over her face and opened the door.

...


	12. Chapter 12

_**Thank you so much Golden Naginata, KnightOfHolyLight, koguma, MB18932, melgonzo and Annonimous4862 for your wonderful reviews! I also want to thank the people that have this fic on their list of favorites as well as those who are now following it! You all rock! :D **_

_**I want to take the opportunity to recommend my good friend (moosesaregreat) and co-writer's fic to you all! If you get a chance please visit her profile page, or go to my list of favorites, and read her story 'Stolen Darkness'! Her awesome fic takes place in Skyrim, too! Just in case, I'm posting the link to her story below, though I am not sure links work here so I've put in extra spaces. Just copy and paste to your browser and remember to delete the extra spaces! :D Moosesaregreat, you totally rock! :D **_

_** www. fanfiction / s / 7873172/1 / **_

Chapter 12

The door locked behind her with a soft click. Alessia crouched, removing her dagger from its sheath on her hip and holding it with the flat of the blade flush against her gauntleted forearm as she crept silently along the wall. She heard voices through a doorway to the left of the hallway and she paused.

"Did you see those robes march in this morning? Who're they with? More of the Emissary's treaty enforcers?"

"No, they're mages just in from Alinor," another voice answered. "I guess Elenwen herself is finally getting worried about all the dragon attacks."

Alessia chewed her lip in thought as she half-listened to the rest of the conversation. _If the Emissary requested more guards to defend against the dragons, then they probably aren't the Thalmor's doing. Dammit, Delphine! _She listened to the guards' heavily armored footsteps as they went back to their rounds and poked her head through the doorway. One of the guards had his back to her across the room, stationed in front of another door. To her right was a staircase leading upwards. Not knowing where the information she needed was stored, she went up the stairs.

She paused at the landing where the stairs turned, looking around the banister and up the next set of steps. A person in black robes stood at the top, also with their back to her. _These are some of the worst guards I've ever seen! _Alessia slunk back into a patch of shadows under a window and waited to see what the wizard would do. A few minutes ticked by and with the exception of shifting their feet, the mage didn't move.

Alessia climbed the steps noiselessly and stopped just behind the wizard. In one swift movement, she cupped one hand over the wizard's mouth and drew her dagger across his throat with the other, pulling the wizard into an adjacent room before the expiring body became too heavy for her to move. She laid the dead mage on the floor as quietly as she could and looted his body before unceremoniously shoving him under a bed. She closed the door of the room behind her and slunk around the rest of the top floor, finding a few things of worth that she of course took, but not finding any kind of intelligence that would be useful regarding the Thalmor and the dragons…and she was beginning to think that she wouldn't.

She went back down the stairs and found the guard in the same place, guarding a door. There was another hallway to the right of the guard, but regardless of how she felt about the Thalmor, Alessia didn't want to leave any more bodies than necessary that would raise an alarm to her presence. She dug a pebble out of her pocket, kept there for this exact reason, and threw it through the doorway that led to the hall she entered the compound from, then ducked behind a counter.

The guard heard it skittering down the hallway and went to investigate. Alessia ran across the room behind him and opened the door…which led outside to a courtyard with another building. Hoping that she hadn't missed what she needed in the building behind her, she closed the door quietly and kneeled behind a nearby barrel.

It was still dark and rainy; the rain turning the bit of early spring snow that still clung to the ground into slush across the open courtyard. A few guards patrolled across it that she could see, one of them a wizard, and there were a few more guards stationed along the high walls that ensconced the compound. The few guards in the courtyard were spaced apart in their marching close enough that there was no way that she could get across to the next building unseen.

Alessia thought for a moment. _I don't want to put Malborn in danger, nor do I want to kill all of these guards…_ An idea came to her. _But they can kill each other…_

Almost thankful for the fact that she and Anders had been attacked by vampires at their campsite, she pulled an Invisibility potion that she had brewed at the Winking Skeever out of her pouch. She pulled the stopper out with her teeth, juggling the potion and her dagger in one hand as she relaxed, calling on her gift of Subterfuge, and the power of it gathered in her free hand. She waited until all of the patrolling guards were close enough and unleashed Nocturnal's gift, hoping that the guards on the parapets of the wall would notice the courtyard's chaos. A purple light enveloped the courtyard, and the guards yelled at each other, unsheathing their weapons and attacking.

Luck was with her, and the wall guards ran down to join the fray, trying to separate their compatriots. Alessia drank the Invisibility potion, the bitter taste of nirnroot with the aftertaste of ashes blooming on her tongue. The sight of her hand as she tucked the bottle away disappeared, wavering into nothing. Invisibility had always intrigued her, and she would have waved her now invisible hand in front of her in awe if time wasn't of the essence.

She quickly jumped down from the porch, careful to place her feet in the slushy footprints that the guards had already made in the snow. A bolt of lightning erupted in front of her from the now frenzied wizard and she jumped back, her hair standing on end beneath her hood. Swearing silently, she ran the rest of the way to the building. As she was about to open the door, two guards stormed out of it and she pressed herself against the wall next to the door, running inside after they had passed.

The inside of this building was lavishly decorated and with the guards occupied by the fight outside, she took the time to look around, adding some things of wealth to her now heavy pack. She found what she thought was Elenwen's study from the look of it, a room lined with bookshelves and a desk in the center. There was a chest here, and she opened it, finding what she needed. She shoved it all into her pack and took the stairs downward from the study.

The stairwell led down into the basement, and she heard the voices of people ahead of her, so she hunkered down against the wall, dagger in hand, peeking around the corner. What she saw and heard was an abomination, a man in chains being tortured by a guard, and a wizard asking questions. Alessia's vision went red for a moment, the poor man being tortured reminding her of Anders and his scars, but she tamped her anger back, knowing that the wizard was powerful and could easily kill her.

The man's interrogation fell short as he passed out, and Alessia waited for the guard that had been beating him to come near her. She took the guard out in the same way as the wizard in the previous building when he got close to her, then coated an arrow with a poison to damage magicka, taking careful aim at the wizard's prone back. She let the arrow fly at the wizard sitting at his desk, then ran towards him as it hit. She pulled him out of his chair, slamming his body to the ground. Straddling him, she punched her dagger into his chest, making his eyes bulge.

"I would much rather hurt you as much as you hurt this man," Alessia sneered, the gasps of the dying wizard beneath her making her smile. "But you'll burn in Oblivion for what you have done here," she finished, twisting her dagger mercilessly. His eyes glassed over as she wrenched her blade out of his lifeless chest. _I should have killed each and every Thalmor I crossed, as painfully as - _Alessia's thoughts were interrupted by a sputtering sound coming from the prisoner's cell.

She hurried over, opening the cell door and the man shrunk into the wall, scrabbling backward on his hands to get away from her. He warily eyed her bow as she slung it over her shoulder and her armor before stating, "I suppose you're here to kill me, Karliah."

The incredulous look on Alessia's face was hidden by her cowl and mask. "What?" she asked, plucking a lockpick from a pouch on her belt and going to work on the man's shackles.

"Just like you killed Gallus."

"I'm not Karliah," Alessia said as she paused in her work and pushed her hood back. Her mask covered her face from the bridge of her nose down, but her blue eyes and red hair were visible, putting the man at ease. She nodded at the complacent look on his face, then put her hood back up and continued with the bonds at the man's wrists, one of them popping open.

He sighed and twisted his now free wrist experimentally. "Here I had given up hope that Mercer would send help."

"Gods, man! How long have they held you here? Mercer has been dead for months! " she exclaimed, popping the other lock open. She put the lockpick away and dug around in her pack for a health potion, handing it to him. "Karliah didn't kill Gallus, Mercer did. He betrayed the Guild in every way possible."

"That makes sense," the man replied, sipping the potion slowly. "I never much cared for Mercer. My name is Etienne and…I'm not really sure how long I've been here. It all bleeds together. I don't know why, but they wanted Esbern. Who is Guildmaster now? Brynjolf? If you're of the Guild, well, I've never seen you before."

Her reply was cut short by someone yelling from up the stairwell. "I swear, I don't know what you're talking about!" Malborn's voice drifted down to them.

"Shit!" Alessia hissed, unsheathing her dagger and sword. "Play dead or something!" she whispered frantically to Etienne, who immediately slumped on the ground and closed his eyes. Alessia ran out of the cell, swinging the door shut quietly behind her and dashed across the room to hide in the alcove of another stairwell. Malborn walked past, still denying any involvement in whatever had happened in the courtyard, two guards following close behind him.

As soon as the guards passed her, Alessia leapt from the shadows. She rammed her dagger into the lower back of the guard on the left and as he fell to his knees, swept her leg around, kicking the other guard's feet from under him and leaving him sprawled on the ground. She spun, swinging her sword, and took the head off the guard on his knees. As she completed the turn, she grasped the hilt with both hands, shoving it downward into the chest of the other guard.

"Well, I see why Delphine chose you for this," Malborn said as he watched her yank her dagger out of the guard's back and loot his body. "Though, you could have, I don't know, _not_gotten me implicated."

Alessia rolled her eyes. "It wasn't on purpose, I assure you." Her gaze landed on a chest next to the now-dead wizard and she hurried over to it. She rifled through it, taking a few things and found a journal labeled, "Esbern". Remembering that this person was why Etienne was being tortured, she took a moment to thumb through it. _It _can't _be the same Esbern. If it is, then why_… She read a few lines, her eyes growing wide. _That paranoid old coot is a Blade_? She shook her head and stuffed the book into her pack, withdrawing two daggers that she had found in Elenwen's study. Gathering both Malborn and Etienne, she handed them each a dagger before asking, "Okay, do we know a way out of here?"

Etienne nodded and pointed further down the room. "There's a trap door of sorts, but it probably needs a -"Alessia held up a key that she had found on one of the guard's bodies. "Right. Down here." Alessia and Malborn followed him to the end of a hallway, and she unlocked the trapdoor, descending into the near darkness.

What was below was a cave of sorts, and they followed a tunnel roughly hewn into the stone. The group emerged into a larger room, the walls covered in moss and lichen, and Malborn immediately tried to run ahead.

Alessia snatched him back by a handful of his shirt. "We don't know what's down here," she growled, pointing to the dagger in his hand. "Do you even know how to use that?"

Malborn had the decency to look abashed. "Not really."

"Then I suggest we stay together until we get out of here…wherever 'here' is." They walked through the cave, the only sound for quite some time was water dripping somewhere in the distance.

During this time, Malborn grew antsy. "What if there are guards waiting at the end of the cave? This is taking far too long! They already killed my entire family, I won't let them take me too!" he cried, then took off running.

"Dammit, Malborn!" Alessia yelled, and ran after him. Around the next turn was another large room with a bridge leading upward toward the exit. There, Malborn stood stock-still, petrified by a large white shape nearly twice his size as it roared in his face.

Alessia forced herself to run faster, the frost troll banging its fists on the ground, a sign that she knew meant that it was about to charge. Just as it began to run at Malborn, she reached him and shoved him out of the way, taking the troll's charge herself. It pushed her sideways and backwards, shoving her into a boulder. She screamed in pain as she felt her upper arm snap in two between the boulder and the force of the troll, stars bursting in front of her eyes as her dagger fell from her limp hand. The troll roared at her and she shook her head to clear it before roaring back with her Unrelenting Force shout.

The troll was pushed back and stunned by the shout. Alessia looked back at Malborn and Etienne for a moment and yelled, "GO!" She swung her sword at the stunned troll, hacking at it as best she could with one arm, the broken one dangling painfully at her side. Her companions still stood motionless as the troll regained its ability to fight back and as she ducked under its fist, she cried desperately, "RUN, YOU FOOLS!" They finally ran up the stone bridge as Alessia did her best to fight the troll in her weakened state. After a few minutes of ducking and dodging, she found an opening and sliced open the creature's belly, its innards spilling onto the trampled snow beneath them and stinking up the cavern around her.

Alessia fell to one knee, panting as the beast tumbled to the ground in front of her. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she rose, turning around to find her dagger on the ground and fumbling to sheath it on her hip with her good arm. She cursed her mother's voice in her head, bidding her to harvest what alchemical ingredients she could, _when _she could, and sliced off a bit of the skin and fat from the troll. As she rolled up the smelly bit of troll flesh, she looked around the room, finding a corpse in mage's robes back in a far corner with one of the red stones of Barenziah that she had been collecting for Vex and retrieved it, along with a few things from the mage's body.

She shoved everything into her bulging pack and wearily trudged up the bridge, emerging into the twilight. The rain had cleared, and she found Etienne sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree. He immediately rose to meet her.

"Malborn took off as soon as we got out here," he said, looking slightly ashamed. "I wish I could have helped you…"

"It's alright. You've been through much, my friend," Alessia answered, digging through her pack. "Unfortunately, I don't have much coin. All I have here is what I looted." She waved off Etienne's protests and dropped a coin sack in his hand. "I have much more, it's no bother. The Thalmor will have the city gates and probably the stables guarded, looking for both of us, or I'd give you my horse." She thought about what little coin she had given him and dug around, finding a few expensive potions and soul gems, and handed them all to him. "Get as far as you can tonight, then sell these at the first village you come to. It ought to be enough to get to Riften. I assume that's where you're going."

Etienne nodded, starting to protest again, but Alessia shook her head.

"Oh, here," she said, taking a health potion out of her pack. "You'll probably need this, too. I'm sorry I can't equip you better."

Etienne looked at her limp arm and raised an eyebrow at her. "I think that you should probably take this."

Alessia chuckled. "No, I have a healer at home, though I'm sure he's going to be angry with me. Look, if you want to thank me, do me a favor." Etienne nodded enthusiastically, making Alessia chuckle again before turning a serious face to him. "Get to Riften as fast as you can. Tell Brynjolf that there may be Thalmor coming through the Flagon, looking for Esbern in the Warrens. If they do come, have everyone lock themselves in the Cistern until Alessia gives the all-clear. Got it?"

Etienne nodded, a questioning look on his face. "Are…you Alessia? Are you the new Guildmaster?"

Alessia just smiled, clapping him on the shoulder and stalked off towards the gates of Solitude.

…

Alessia was grateful that night had fallen because she was able to slip through the city gates without a problem. By the time she reached the manor, however, she was grimacing in pain.

Anders was downstairs in the basement, and finished brewing the last healing potion with a satisfied smile. He turned and was surprised to see Alessia making her way towards him with a smile on her face. He grinned, but as she walked up to him, his grin vanished. Her eyes told him that she was in pain, and she was holding her arm.

"What's the matter? Why are you -" Anders brow furrowed, as he realized what had happened. He rushed to her side, his eyes flashing angrily for a moment. "Andraste's flaming knickers, woman! I told you to be careful, didn't I?"

Alessia frowned. "It wasn't exactly on purpose, nor was it my fault. And it wasn't even at the Embassy."

Anders wasn't even looking at her. He was focused on her shoulder, and his hands started to glow with the telltale sign that he was already at work. Alessia winced a bit. This healing was hurting, and she bit her lip.

"It doesn't matter. Fixing bones is painful," Anders sighed. "Hang on, there. The pain is only going to get worse..."

Alessia nodded and grit her teeth as the glow around Anders's hands intensified. She gasped loudly as she felt the bones moving in her arm, a sharp pain shooting up her arm and flashing intensely behind her eyes momentarily before everything went black and she fainted. Anders caught her in his arms before she fell to the floor.

"Alessia," he whispered, his eyes suspiciously loving for a few moments, before he gathered her in his arms and started his ascent to the bedroom.

…

When Alessia came to, Anders was not in the room. She flexed her arm experimentally and it throbbed, but it wasn't nearly as painful as before. Anders walked into the room balancing a tray with two bowls of soup and a couple of pieces of bread.

"I hope you didn't try to move it. You have to rest so that it can finish healing properly," he said.

"That must be why it hurt when I moved it then," she replied, leaning back on the pillow. "I'm going to have to lay low for a few days anyway. The Thalmor will be watching the gates and the stables. I...may have killed a few of them. I take that back. I made most of them kill each other, though now I wish I _had _killed them all."

Anders rolled his eyes. "_May _have killed?" He sighed. "The good part is that I'll have your undivided attention for a few days, then," he chuckled as he brought a bowl of soup to the bed, and proceeded to feed her. "Though I like it that I'll be taking care of you…"

Alessia raised an eyebrow, eyeing the spoonful of soup hovering in front of her. "I only broke one of my arms, Anders."

"Don't try my patience, woman!" Anders shot back at her. "Open your mouth and be a good girl."

Alessia glared at him. "Again, I only broke one of my arms. The other is fully functional to hit you."

"Let me spell it out for you. When you use your good arm, you _always_ move your other arm, no matter how much you don't want to! It's a reflexive movement, and it's entirely out of your control. You should not be moving at all the first twenty-four hours. Afterwards, you can use your good arm." He put the spoon back down, glaring back at her. "Honestly, Alessia, I _know _what I'm doing! Would it kill you to trust me?"

She pursed her lips for a moment, then sighed. "I do trust you, Anders. I just hate feeling like an invalid. I'll tell you right now, if I ever see Malborn again, I'm pushing him in front of a troll instead of away from it for making me endure this," she grumbled darkly.

"If he is responsible for this, I daresay I'll do it myself," Anders said, a smile forming on the corners of his mouth. "Now, come on and let me feed you, sweetheart. Be good, and I'll give you a prize..." he ended up teasing.

Alessia rolled her eyes and obediently opened her mouth, taking a bite of soup. "I can't redeem my prize for at least twenty-four hours, huh?"

"I'm afraid so," Anders grinned. "But we can talk. Tell me what happened and what you've learned."

"For starters, the Thalmor don't seem to know anything about the dragons. I didn't have time to read through everything I grabbed. I do know that they're after one of the people in the Warrens, named Esbern. He's a paranoid elderly man, who is or was a Blade."

"When you're done eating, I can look for these documents in your pack and read them to you, if you'd like," Anders said quietly, as he fed her. "I see Delphine was wrong and placed you in unnecessary danger then," his brows knitted and his eyes flashed blue for a few seconds. "I disliked her before, but this..._this _is unacceptable..."

Alessia shook her head vehemently. "It wasn't completely fruitless, Anders. I found a member of the Guild there, chained to a wall in the basement and being tortured for information about Esbern. I had never met him before and I've been a part of the Guild for nearly a year. He didn't even know how long he'd been there," she shook her head sadly. "I had been careful not to kill too many Thalmor before I found him, but after…I killed the rest, though it wasn't many. They didn't deserve to live after what they did to him. I would have made it much more painful if I could have," she finished fiercely.

Anders nodded, his eyes clouding over momentarily as he pursed his lips. Alessia could see that he was struggling to control himself and she tried to raise her good arm to touch his face, but he saw her movement and quickly caught her hand, shaking his head. "No..." he murmured, leaning over to her, his face inches away from hers. "No moving, until I say so."

And then he kissed her.

…

After a day had passed, Anders told her she could move her good arm, and he helped her find the dossiers she had retrieved from the Embassy. The first one she opened, with Anders's help, was the one on Ulfric Stormcloak. Anders started to read out loud, and Alessia sat on the bed quietly, leaning against the wooden headboard.

"'Ulfric Stormcloak," Anders read. "'Jarl of Windhelm, leader of the Stormcloak rebellion, Imperial Legion veteran…Ulfric first came to our attention during the First War against the Empire, when he was taken as prisoner of war during the campaign for the White-Gold Tower. Under interrogation, we learned of his potential value - as he was the son of the Jarl of Windhelm - and he was assigned as an asset to the interrogator, who is now First Emissary Elenwen. He was made to believe information obtained during his interrogation was crucial in the capture of the Imperial City...the city had in fact fallen before he had broken...and then allowed to escape. After the war, contact was established and he has proven his worth as an asset.'"

"WHAT?" Alessia exclaimed, sitting upright and wincing slightly.

"I take it this is bad?" Anders inquired.

"I found this in Elenwen's study, the same Elenwen who was his interrogator. If this is true, then his rebellion will fall apart...but, the Thalmor are liars. You should hear what they say about my mother's people! It could all be fabricated, I don't know. I'm going to lock it in the Guild vault. We can't be seen to take sides, so no one else should see this. What else does it say?"

"Hmm...Something about the Markarth Incident and the incident at Helgen. Should I read the rest to you?"

Alessia smiled and nodded. And Anders continued.

"'The so-called Markarth Incident was particularly valuable from the point of view of our strategic goals in Skyrim, although it resulted in Ulfric becoming generally uncooperative to direct contact. Direct contact remains a possibility, under extreme circumstances, but in general the asset should be considered dormant. As long as the civil war proceeds in its current indecisive fashion we should remain hands-off. The incident at Helgen is an example where an exception had to be made - obviously, Ulfric's death would have dramatically increased the chance of an Imperial victory and thus harmed our overall position in Skyrim. The coincidental intervention of the dragon at Helgen is still under scrutiny. The obvious conclusion is that whoever is behind the dragons also has an interest in the continuation of the war, but we should not assume that their goals align with our own. A Stormcloak victory is also to be avoided, however, so even indirect aid to the Stormcloaks must be carefully managed.'"

"So, this proves that Delphine was wrong. But...why are the Thalmor playing both sides?" Alessia wondered aloud.

"What I think is that it's convenient for them. If either side wins, they could be ousted from Skyrim. I mean, it seems to me that neither the Stormcloaks nor the Empire would want them in Skyrim at all, right?"

Alessia nodded thoughtfully. "As long as there is turmoil, they will be allowed to do as they please by the Empire. If the Stormcloaks win, they will have no hold here and the other provinces of the Empire will follow in rebellion against them. If the Empire wins, it will have enough strength to turn back around on the Thalmor."

"Fascinating, indeed," Anders murmured. "I never did like politics, but this is totally different from what happens in Thedas. There, religion and race are the main reasons why people oppress others. Of course, power comes with oppression, but here in Skyrim, power is the only thing that motivates others. No religion, no real spiritual drive, but the need for power and dominance..."

Alessia snorted. "And then there's people like me who hate the fact that they have some semblance of power."

"Thank the Maker for people like you, though," Anders smiled. "If the world had more of you, it wouldn't be in shambles..."

Alessia blushed. "Well, if there were more of me, I wouldn't have to fight all the dragons, either."

"Mmm...more time for you to be with me..." Anders leaned in, his lips descending on hers passionately. "How about you claim that prize now?" he said in between kisses.

"I was wondering when you'd get to that," Alessia responded coyly as he trailed kisses down her neck.

…


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N from moosesaregreat: Thanks to melgonzo, PheonRen, Golden Naginata, MB18932, koguma and KnightOfHolyLight for your awesome reviews. We'd also like to thank all those of you who have put our fic on your lists of favorites, and who are now following it! **_

_**Holy crap, you guys! 60k words-ish? Jeeze! Super duper thanks to all of you who have been here from the get-go and spurring us on to write this! You know, this is just a third or so of the game/main quest, and we have soooo much to do! Oh, yes! We have plans! Thank you guys so much, and I hope you all enjoy this and every other chapter. :D **_

_**Our disclaimer as usual: Bethesda and Bioware own everything! **_

Chapter 13

Alessia had healed completely in three days, thanks to Anders's magic and care. They got ready to leave for Riften immediately and hurried to the stables outside Solitude to get their horses. A roar was heard overhead.

"Do you have to show up when we're in a hurry?" Alessia sighed as she readied her bow, taking an arrow from her quiver, while Anders unsheathed his staff and shot a Winter's Grasp spell directly at the dragon as it passed by.

The ice from Anders's spell slowed it a bit - as did Alessia's arrows - and it fell to the ground right in front of two guards who had joined the fray. The creature focused on the two guards first, roaring and spitting fire directly on them. One of the guards fell to the ground dead and the other backed away, holding his shield in front of him.

Alessa made a run for the beast, trying to keep the second guard from getting killed. This elicited a cry of protest from Anders, who sprinted after her cursing under his breath. He flung a Cone of Ice spell directly on the dragon and got out of the way, watching how she nimbly jumped on its back and slashed under its long neck where the ice spell hadn't hit it. The ice around the dragon began to melt away and Alessia hopped off just as it broke free from its icy prison and roared.

Alessia frowned and ran to the dragon's side. The remaining guard flanked it on the other side and the dragon didn't know who to turn to first. "Get out of here!" Alessia yelled at the guard, who had slashed one of the dragon's wings. "I can deal with it! Just get to safety!" The man ignored her and slashed it again, which was enough for the beast, as it turned and breathed fire on him. In two seconds flat, it burnt him to a crisp.

Alessia felt the rage growing inside her. She shouted at the dragon automatically and it was stunned for a few brief moments. Anders flung a lightning spell on it and it jerked around.

"Get away, Anders!" Alessia screamed, seeing that the effects of her shout were wearing off. "It's going to attack!"

Anders ran back and to the right, just as the dragon roared, spitting out fire. A Winter's Blast spell met the fire half way, and Alessia made a desperate dash at the animal, hoping to distract it.

The dragon turned its neck to get a better view at the mortal that had shouted. It knew that she was the Dovahkiin, and felt threatened. It tried to flap its wings to fly upwards, but Alessia had already run up its back again, and was now slashing at its neck. Anders hit it with another lightning spell; Alessia sank her dagger into its neck, jumping gracefully down to the ground as the beast roared again, a final time. Its massive head and neck slumped to the ground and shortly afterwards, Alessia felt the golden energy envelop her as she took its soul.

"I'm not sure which is more annoying, the dragons or the vampires," Alessia grumbled as she salvaged her arrows from the dragon's carcass.

Anders took two steps and grabbed her arm, spinning her around. "You are going to kill me!" he snarled as he took her in his arms and kissed her. She was left both breathless and speechless from the intensity of it. "I keep thinking that you're going to die, and it's not fun, I can tell you!" Anders exclaimed as he released her.

"It wasn't fun to see you right in front of the dragon about to be incinerated, either," Alessia said as she regained her ability to breathe, her gauntleted palm brushing his cheek as she righted herself. She smiled fondly and climbed onto her horse. "But you know that I can't just let those guards try and take it out all alone, when _I'm _supposed to be the one to deal with the dragons."

Anders nodded, his lips pursed as he mounted his horse. The fear of losing her still held his heart in a vise-like grip, but he said nothing as he followed her to the main road. They tried to hurry, pushing their horses to a canter and then a gallop, even though it was a three-day journey from Solitude to Riften. Alessia even suggested that they keep going through the night and Anders agreed, but by the time the second night had rolled around, he saw how tired she was and got off his horse, demanding they get a full night's rest before continuing.

"I'm not complaining, Anders," Alessia argued later as she shoved the stakes of the tent into the ground. "I just want to get there as quickly as possible. I am responsible for the welfare of both the Guild and the people in the Warrens, and if those Thalmor bastards are on their way there, we need to get there first."

"I understand what you are saying, but if we don't stop, you'll be so exhausted by the time we get there that you'll drop. What help will you be to them then?"

Alessia sighed, picking up her bow to go find their evening dinner. "I know, I just worry. I'm responsible for so many lives." Her eyes grew wide as the realization hit her. "Mara's tits, I'm responsible for _everyone _now!"

"Well, since you can't turn into a dragon, which would come in handy, then there is nothing to do about the distance...let's just focus on getting there in one piece, alright?" he responded, a frown on his face as he started a fire.

"Alright," Alessia agreed sullenly, and disappeared into the darkness with a fierce look as she knocked an arrow in her bowstring.

Seeing the angry look on her face, Anders couldn't help but feel sorry for the animal that would soon be their dinner.

…

Upon arriving to Riften, Alessia threw her reins to the stable boy and stomped into the city, taking the Ratway to get to the Ragged Flagon with Anders following closely behind. As soon as she opened the door to the bar, an eerie silence descended upon them. They entered the large room and were greeted by the body of Arnskar, the smith, floating face-down in the water in front of them. Alessia gasped, her voice sad. "We're too late."

She angrily stormed past the merchant alcoves, leading Anders along the path over to the bar. The tables and chairs were knocked over or sitting askew from their normal places, spilled ale from the strewn about tankards along the bar now in puddles, mingling with splatters of blood and seeping into the dirt floor. They found the body of a Thalmor guard, a dagger in his belly, lying in the doorway behind the bar which led to the Cistern and the Warrens. The door to the Cistern was now charred, but was shut tightly. Alessia nodded, grateful that her warning had been heeded even if it had arrived too late. She pulled her mask and hood on, and they took the door leading to the Warrens.

She motioned for Anders to crouch along with her, and he started when he looked down at her. Even though the pathway was decently lit, what he saw beneath her hood was completely shadowed and her eyes seemed to be nothing more than faintly glowing white spots.

"Hopefully, they only sent a small contingent, thinking that it would be easy. Their wizards seem to like lightning bolts. That's probably what burned the door back there, so watch out for them," Alessia whispered to Anders, leading him down a hallway.

Anders nodded, immediately enveloping them both in Arcane Shields as they advanced into the darkened hallway. The whole place was quiet, far too quiet for Anders's comfort and he readied a spell just in case.

They were ambushed when they walked into one of the rooms. Three thugs sprang at them from the shadows, while a third one remained in the opening that led to another hallway, firing arrows at them.

The Winter's Grasp spell that Anders's flung at the three thugs froze them on the spot, but the thug with the bow had successfully managed to let loose an arrow that had hit Anders squarely on the thigh. He stumbled to the ground, cursing under his breath.

"Andraste's flaming knickers!"

Alessia quickly disappeared from view, appearing behind the thug and backstabbing him, then ran to Anders who had already dug the arrow out and was healing himself.

"So good to know that he didn't hit the important parts," Alessia whispered, kneeling beside him as she threw her hood back, her eyes twinkling in the half-light above her mask.

"Is that all you can think about, you minx?" Anders replied in a mock hurt tone, a lopsided grin on his face. Alessia waggled her eyebrows, eliciting a laugh from him and she stood while attempting to help him to his feet. But Anders shook his head and stood up without her help, a smile playing on his lips. She threw her hood back up over her head and pointed at the hallway that had been guarded by the thug with the bow, and they continued their journey into the Warrens.

As they neared where Alessia knew the people of the Ratway resided, she turned to Anders. "In a short while, we'll be where all of the people who live down here are. As I told you before, they will more than likely attack us, so we need to be very careful. Anyone dressed in rags...well, I don't know what you can do. Put them to sleep or something?"

"I can stun the more aggressive ones with a Mind Blast spell, and put the rest to sleep, of course. I'm good at spells, being a mage and all that," Anders smirked.

Alessia rolled her eyes but she grinned under her mask and continued down the hallway, readying her bow. She poked her head around a corner and spotted a guard in golden armor pacing down the hallway, but he was alone. Firing her arrow, she leaned back, motioning to Anders to wait. The arrow hit its mark and the wounded guard came to investigate, running directly into Alessia with her blades unsheathed as he rounded the corner, who promptly beheaded him.

"Nice!" Anders murmured behind her. "Where to now?"

"We just follow the tunnels. I'm sure that there will be more than just him," she replied, gesturing to the dead guard with her sword. She crouched again and led Anders through the winding Warrens until they reached an open area, with two more guards and a wizard.

None of the Thalmor had seen them but one of the Warrens' residents had seen the golden-skinned elves, one that Alessia was sure had fought in the Great War back in Cyrodiil. She had done some prowling around down here and had found an Imperial officer's helmet and a medal in his room. He ran out from one of the doorways surrounding the room, screaming at the Thalmor, "No, you can't do it! I've already killed you over and over again!"

"Anders, do something!" Alessia whispered frantically, pointing to the man.

Anders flung a sleeping spell on the area, and it also hit a woman that was mumbling in another room close behind. The two fell asleep instantly, and he raised an eyebrow at Alessia. "Did you want me to stun him instead?"

"I just wanted him out of the way," she said as she knocked an arrow and aimed it at one of the guards, who were now looking in their direction. She loosed the arrow, hitting the guard and quickly knocked another, hitting the wizard square in the chest. She quickly slung her bow over her shoulder and unsheathed her blades. "Off we go!"

"About time, I say," Anders whispered behind her, causing her to smile even though the other guard had been alerted to their presence.

Alessia ran down the steps into the room, leaping off the stairs with a curse as another wizard stepped out of a hallway and flung a Thunderbolt spell at her. The bolt hit the place on the steps where she had been a moment before, flinging shards of stone over her crouched form next to the stairway.

Anders uttered a cry of rage, and hurled a fireball directly at the wizard, burning him to a crisp. He ran down the steps to Alessia, trying to check her over for any injuries, but Alessia shook her head, putting a finger to her lips. "Shhh! There are more ahead!" she warned as the cloud of stone dust enveloping them slowly dissipated.

Alessia rolled to her feet, emerging from the shadows of the stairwell and sliced into the leftover guard, twisting her blade to make it a killing blow. She rose to a crouch and looked around. Not seeing any more guards, she stood and led Anders up the stairs to a door at the end of a corridor. She rapped on the door loudly, and not getting a response, knocked again.

A small window slid open and a man's eyes were revealed. "What do you want?" he whispered.

"Esbern, it's the Guildmaster. Please open the door. I need to -" Alessia began, but was cut off.

"There are Thalmor around, I'm not opening the door!" came the reply through the window.

Alessia growled in frustration. "Esbern, we killed them all...if it helps you to open the door, know that Delphine thinks that I am the Dragonborn," she said, cringing at using Delphine's name to gain entrance.

Esbern's blue eyes widened slightly, and suddenly the window slid shut. Not a moment later, Alessia sighed with relief as she heard a number of locks being unlocked on the other side. After a few agonizing minutes, the door opened and Esbern ushered them both in quickly.

"The Dragonborn? Are you really?" The elderly man turned to Anders. "Shut the door, boy! Do you have a death wish? There could be more Thalmor out there!"

Anders obediently shut the door behind him. Alessia could see that he was trying hard not to burst out laughing, and this made it easier for her to reply to Esbern's question.

"Yes. At least, both the Greybeards and Delphine seem to think so," Alessia said quietly.

"Delphine? You know Delphine?"

"We've come to take you to her," Alessia said, nodding. "We have to hurry. There could be more Thalmor around."

"Yes, I - I just have to get my things. If you...can you wait?" Esbern muttered as he ran around the room. Alessia kept her eyes on him, for if she looked at Anders she knew she would burst out laughing. Esbern kept muttering to himself, looking through all the things he had amassed in the small room. "Just a moment, I need...oh! Where was that now?" The old man continued to mutter to himself as he ransacked his things, shoving the articles that he had retrieved in an old worn backpack. "Yes. Oh, all right. I'm ready to leave. No! Wait! I need...where was it?"

Alessia pinched the bridge of her nose in mild annoyance, but more to keep from giggling at Esbern. "Please hurry, sir. We need to get going!"

"Yes, of course! The Thalmor!" the old man responded, and nodded at her. "I'm ready."

Alessia met Anders's eyes and Anders looked away quickly, his lips twitching dangerously.

"Alright then," she said, turning to leave. The two men followed her outside where they were immediately ambushed by two more guards and a wizard. "Dammit!" she yelled, unsheathing her sword and dagger. Alessia stabbed through the guard nearest her and as the body fell limp before her, she turned to find Esbern meeting the wizard, shooting flames from his open palms and setting the wizard's robes aflame. Esbern immediately turned, summoning a frost atronach, which manifested itself right next to the other guard. It shot a spell at the guard, freezing him solid and then punched him, shattering the guard into pieces.

Alessia met Anders's incredulous glance with one of her own before taking the two men down the hall. As they took the maze of corridors, they didn't meet any more resistance, so when they emerged into the Flagon, she told them to wait as she stepped up to the door of the Cistern. She knocked shortly three times, waited a beat, then knocked twice more.

"Night among strangers", a gruff voice called, muffled through the door.

Alessia returned, "Secrets in the dark." She could hear the locks clicking open and shortly afterwards the door opened as well, showing Dirge standing in the entryway, sword in hand.

"We got your warning, but it wasn't fast enough," he told her, scowling as he sheathed his sword over his shoulder. "Too many have been hurt and Herluin can only do so much."

"I came as quickly as I could, Dirge. Be glad that I found Etienne to send the message. We killed all of the Thalmor and rescued Esbern, though I don't know if they may try again. I'm sorry about Arnskar…he wanted to use all of these damn dragon bones I've been carrying around to try and make armor," she replied sadly.

.Anders spoke up behind Alessia as he followed her inside. "I can help. I'm a healer."

Dirge nodded to Anders and pointed to the beds next to the door. "All those on the beds. Knock yourself out."

Anders hurried to the first person, who turned out to be Vex. She had a broken arm and ribs, and he spoke gently to her, warning her that the whole process of healing bones was painful before he started to work. Alessia smiled deviously at Vex's prone form, knowing how painful broken bones were to be healed and thinking back on the attitude that Vex had always given her, before spotting Brynjolf on one of the beds. She immediately ran towards him at the same time that Vex started to scream bloody murder as Anders healed her broken bones..

Alessia threw her hood back and ripped her mask off as she knelt beside Brynjolf, gathering one of his hands in hers, aghast at the large wound opening the armor across his chest. "I sent a warning that they were coming! I _told _you!" she cried, holding her other hand on the slash engulfing his torso as she tried to staunch the blood flow.

"We did what we could, lass," he sputtered, droplets of blood spewing from his mouth as he spoke. He lifted a hand, dragging one finger feebly down her cheek. "It was...too quick. They were there and -" his voice cut off as he coughed, a large amount of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, making its way down his cheek and dripping onto the bed beneath him.

"Anders!" Alessia called, waving for him to attend to Brynjolf. Anders focused on the person in front of him and Alessia wanted to throttle him, as she wanted him to heal Brynjolf's wounds. "Anders, _please_!" she cried, desperately.

Anders jumped up and quickly made his way over to Brynjolf, kneeling beside him. Holding out his hands, a soft golden light emanated from the mage as he furrowed his brow, deep in concentration. He first made sure of where the inner wound was and then got to work. In a few minutes, the wound had healed completely and Alessia looked up gratefully, tears shining in her eyes. Anders winked at her, a small smile playing on the corners of his mouth and he moved to stand to get to the next injured person, but Brynjolf's arm shot out and caught Anders's wrist, stopping him from leaving.

"Wait. Thank you, lad. I...appreciate this," Brynjolf muttered in a grave voice.

Anders smiled brightly at him and nodded, turning to Alessia who was watching him like he was a god. He blushed, something that Alessia had never seen him do before. "I'll go heal the rest," he mumbled as he stood, moving along to another bed.

But Brynjolf had seen the blush, and had seen the look he had given Alessia. He turned to her as she blinked back more tears. "He's a good lad, lass. I might have been wrong...about him. But that doesn't mean I won't keep an eye on him."

Alessia choked out a laugh over her now freely flowing tears and leaned down to rest her head gingerly on his now healed chest, not caring that his blood rubbed onto her face as she wrapped her arms around him.

…

When Anders was done healing everyone, Esbern approached him. Alessia was standing next to Anders and smiled at the elderly man, who had a smile on his face as he regarded them both. Esbern first focused his attention on Anders.

"That was excellent healing. Excellent! The best I have seen in a long time in fact," Esbern said in a quavering voice. "You are truly talented."

Anders beamed. "Well, thank you. I was hoping to set up a place down here to heal the residents. A foolish dream, no doubt..."

"Well, no. No, I wouldn't call it foolish. To heal others is worthy and selfless. I can see that you put people's needs before your own, and that is commendable. I don't know if I will be returning to the room I kept here. I'm sure Delphine has other plans, and now that the Dragonborn is here, things will undoubtedly change for the better…I hope. If you'd like, you can use my old room as a healing clinic of sorts."

Anders's eyes widened slightly with surprise and then he grinned. In fact, his whole face had lit up and Alessia smiled gratefully at the old man as well.

"Are you sure?" Anders asked, his eyes twinkling merrily. "I wouldn't want you to be out in the cold or anything."

"Well, let's see what Delphine says. If we find another place, or she wants me to stay where she is at the moment, which I'm sure she will, then it's yours. I'll give you the keys and everything. I do have some potions there, lying around, and some soul gems. Everything will be yours to use, of course."

"Thank you," Anders responded, slightly flushed. Alessia could see that he was deeply moved by the elderly man's gift and she smiled warmly at Esbern.

Esbern turned to Alessia. "The Dragonborn..." he started, pausing to collect his thoughts. "If you are indeed the Dragonborn, then it means that Alduin, the World-Eater has returned. It means the prophecy is being fulfilled."

"Alduin is called the World-Eater? I have come across him twice. Once, he interrupted my execution, and once I saw him resurrecting a dead dragon," Alessia commented thoughtfully.

"The prophecy speaks of Alduin's return. 'When the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding...The World-Eater wakes and the Wheel turns upon the last Dragonborn.'" Esbern recited in a low voice.

"'World-Eater' has an ominous ring to it," Anders commented.

"So it has," Esbern replied, a thoughtful look on his face. "And it should. A dangerous foe, unbeatable and powerful. Said to 'eat the souls of the dead'..." He turned to look at Alessia, and she suddenly felt uncomfortable and fidgeted, playing with the hilt of her sword.

"And the only one that can kill Alduin is the Dragonborn..." Esbern added thoughtfully.

…

Alessia said her goodbyes and they got ready to leave. She embraced Brynjolf, while Esbern and Anders waited for her on the walkway that led to the Flagon. Before they headed out through the door, however, Alessia reached out and grabbed Anders's wrist and pulled him towards the center of the walkway.

"Anders," she began, her eyes warm and suspiciously bright. "I want to thank you for what you did back there. He might have not made it, and I would have been...really sad if he had died..."

Anders smiled gently at her, a loving look in his eyes. "There is nothing I would not do for you," he murmured, taking her in his arms. He bent his head and captured her lips in a gentle kiss.

The whole Cistern erupted with whistles and catcalls.

"The Dragonborn is in loooove!" "Are you going to 'shout' him to bed?" "The Temple of Mara is right above us, you know!"

Alessia blushed to the tips of her ears at the same time Anders burst out laughing, then she turned and aimed a rude gesture at the people cheering at them, earning her a few laughs. "I know they're crude," she chuckled, leading Anders towards the exit.

"They're funny." Anders smiled. "Though I have to ask...why did they mention the Temple of Mara? I don't think 'kissing' is something I'd do in a temple..."

Esbern, who had been quiet through all of this piped up. "Why, Mara is the goddess of love, boy. You get married in her temples!"

Alessia blushed a deep red. "I - I think we should get out of the Ratway fast. Delphine must be expecting us..."

Anders did not say anything and once they were out of the Ratway, Alessia stole a glance at him. He had a thoughtful expression on his face, but his eyes were distant and cold. Not something she wanted to see at all...

…

The trip to Riverwood was easy, as they took the southern route; no attacks from vampires, dragons, or anything else. They arrived there within the day and entered the inn. Delphine's eyes grew wide at the sight of Esbern, and they all convened in the secret room below the inn.

When Delphine walked in, Alessia tossed both Delphine and Esbern's dossiers, along with what she had found about the dragons on the table. "You know, I'm not mad that you sent me there for nothing," Alessia said, a smile playing on her lips. "What _is_funny is that you can kill an entire squad of Thalmor assassins, but cower in the face of a dragon."

Esbern paused in his excitement of seeing Delphine. "You...you fought a dragon?" he asked.

"WE fought a dragon, yes, but not Delphine. Anders and I killed it while she hid behind a rock," Alessia replied, a smirk on her face.

Esbern looked at Delphine, clearly disappointed. "That's what we're here for, girl. At least this Dovahkiin can do what is necessary," he chastised Delphine, a cross look on his face.

Delphine blushed as she walked to the table, but shrugged a few moments later. "We must focus on our next move, not on what should have happened," she deadpanned. "You say the Thalmor aren't behind the return of the dragons -"

Esbern cut her off. "Did you honestly believe that?" he exclaimed. "Did you not hear the prophecy when I told it to you years ago? Alduin had to return, because the Dovahkiin is here! The tide has turned, girl." He turned to Alessia. "Alduin knows you are here. We must find a place to hide and plan how to bring him down. I remember that there was a fortress in the Reach, which was built by the Blades. Sky Haven Temple...I wonder if it still stands?"

"Alduin is following a pattern, raising the other dragons from their burial mounds," Alessia said, chewing her lip. "I agree with Esbern. We should find this temple and see what else we can discover about Alduin. Although maybe I can kill Alduin before we get to the temple?"

"No," Esbern shook his head. "Haven't you paid attention to what I've said? Alduin is unbeatable, terribly powerful and nigh on invincible. He is the first son of Akatosh, after all. There could be a clue at Sky Haven Temple on how to bring him down, however."

"Then we should set out for Sky Haven Temple immediately," Delphine said.

"It's somewhere in Karthspire," Esbern said. "That much I know."

"I know where that is," Alessia said. "But Anders and I have things to do along the way. Why don't you two go ahead? We'll meet you there."

Esbern nodded, then turned to Anders. "Before I forget, here are your keys, boy," he smiled handing Anders the keys to his room back in the Warrens, while Delphine watched them suspiciously. "The room is yours."

…


	14. Chapter 14

_**A short note to thank all those of you who have put this fic on your list of favorites as well as those who are now following it! Thanks also to our wonderful reviewers: koguma, PheonRen, KnightOfHolyLight, Golden Naginata and MB18932. We love hearing from you and enjoy reading your feedback! :D **_

_**Things start to get a bit heated for our heroes. Hope you enjoy this one as much as we enjoyed writing it! **_

_**Bethesda and Bioware own! :D **_

Chapter 14

They didn't speak as they made their way to the stables. Alessia paid the stable boy and turned to Anders.

"We'll be heading towards Solitude," she informed him. "I'd like to speak to Elisif."

Anders nodded and mounted his horse. He was exceptionally quiet and withdrawn throughout the ride, and they set up camp a day away from Solitude in silence. By the time they had finished their meal, Alessia was fidgeting. She kept her eyes on the fire, though and said little else.

"Coming to sleep?" Anders said as he stood up and stretched.

"In a minute," Alessia replied, deep in thought. She didn't tell him they had been followed. There was no sense in worrying him on top of what was making him so uncharacteristically quiet.

A rustle was heard in the bushes around their makeshift camp, and Alessia's pointed ears twitched at the sound before she slowly got up and disappeared into the bushes. A few seconds later, she had a female Khajiit firmly in her grasp and a dagger at her throat, pushing the feline body closer to the light of the fire with her own.

"Who are you and why have you been following us?" Alessia hissed.

"Shavari," the Khajiit whispered back, her eyes wide with fear as Alessia pressed the dagger to her throat a little more firmly. "This one is a thief that preys on unwary travelers."

"You're lying. Tell me who sent you!" Alessia snarled, pressing the blade harder against the furred throat of her captive.

The flap to their tent opened and Anders stepped outside. He froze at the scene before him for a few seconds, his hands glowing with a readied spell.

"This one tells nothing," Shavari replied, a contemptuous look on her face as she looked directly at Anders. "You will pay for meddling in the Thalmor's affairs."

Alessia slit the assassin's throat at the mention of the Thalmor, and the dead Khajiit slithered to the ground. She met Anders's eyes and frowned, then searched the Khajiit's pockets. She found a written parchment and showed it to Anders.

"_This _is why we're going to Solitude," she said in a tired voice. "The Thalmor want my head, and for all I know, yours and anyone else that can be connected to me. Their headquarters is in Solitude, and Elisif is my friend. I need her help to put them off our trail."

"I'm glad you're alright. I heard the whispers and came out to investigate," Anders said. He shook his head. "Did you hear anyone else out there?"

"No. I checked the road and the surrounding area when I left to hunt for our dinner. She was the only one. For now…" Alessia frowned. "I'll take up watch and wake you when it's your turn."

Anders nodded. "Good night, then," he whispered then disappeared into the tent again.

...

They arrived at Solitude at nightfall the next day. Once inside Proudspire Manor, Alessia announced that she would cook dinner and Anders made his way downstairs to wash up. Alessia frowned. Anders's silence was getting on her nerves and she couldn't understand why he was behaving this way. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. By the time she had venison steaks and baked potatoes ready, Alessia felt like punching him. She stomped downstairs to find him working at the alchemy table.

"Anders," she began, as he turned to face her, staring intently. "I don't know why, but I kind of get the feeling you are avoiding a conversation with me?"

"I don't feel like talking right now," Anders replied in a low voice, his eyes two dark pools as he continued to stare at her.

Alessia shut her eyes as she tried to control her temper. After a few seconds she opened them, but Anders was now standing directly in front of her, looking down at her with a tenderness in his eyes that she had never seen before.

"I'm not good for you, Alessia. I'm from another world. You must remember that, please. I can't settle down with anyone until I find out that I can't go back. If I discover I _can _go back, I have to make sure that the mages in Thedas don't need me any longer." He stopped talking and sighed.

Alessia shook her head. "You _want _to return to Thedas?" Her voice was but a whisper.

"It's not a matter of what I want. My duty is to help the mages. They are at war, and I have to be there and make sure they…win…"

"You know you've been here for a couple of months, give or take. We don't know how long it's been in Thedas. Time may not be the same here as it is there," Alessia quickly responded. She didn't want to stop talking, for if she did, she would break down and cry and she didn't want to do that.

"That may be true, but I have to be sure. I don't want to commit myself to you to later find out there is a way to go back, because…I never want to leave you…" Anders quickly interrupted.

"I don't want a commitment either anyway," Alessia said gruffly, lowering her eyes. "I am the Dragonborn and any day could be my last. I can't afford to be committed to anyone right now. It wouldn't be fair to the other person. Besides, my human father left my mother. I don't think it will be any different now. Why should it be?"

She avoided eye contact and turned to leave, but Anders grabbed her arm and spun her around. "Alessia," he whispered. "I have no intention of leaving you."

"I know, Anders," she shot back, meeting his eyes fiercely. "But given the opportunity, you will, won't you?" When he didn't reply, she disentangled herself from his arms. "I won't keep you here, Anders. I know from what you've told me that the mages are treated horribly and need your help." She sighed, looking down at the floor again. "I know that you have to go eventually and if not for the dragons here…I would probably go with you to help. But we can be happy until then, can't we? We enjoy each other's company and get along very well. We make an excellent fighting team. I think we should make the best of things while we have each other. That way, at least we'll have good memories when you leave."

Anders didn't say a word, and she stole a glance at him. When their eyes met, she saw he was struggling to control his emotions, and the look of sadness in his eyes made her want to give him a hug. Instead, she willed herself to turn back to the stairs, lest he see the sadness written upon her own face.

"Dinner is ready. Come and eat while it's still hot."

…

"So what is it that you are going to say to Elisif?" Anders asked as they ate their dinner, breaking the tense silence.

Alessia sighed, pushing the food around her plate with her fork. "Basically, I'm going to ask her to try to keep the Thalmor from sending more assassins. Not just for me because I'm not going to be in Riften to protect the Guild. I can't have them attacking it again."

"Does she have that kind of power? As far as I could understand, the Empire is really a puppet of the Thalmor right now, isn't it?" Anders asked, shoveling his food into his mouth.

"Yes, it is. But, they need her as well. She is on their side as far as they're concerned, so maybe if she stresses the point that I'm going after the dragons...I don't know," Alessia sighed as she finally took a bite of her dinner.

"The note we found on the Khajiit assassin mentioned you by name. I'm really worried about all this," Anders frowned. "Elisif would have to mention your name as well. I wonder if this will do more harm than good..."

Alessia threw her fork down onto her plate. "What do you suggest I do, then? I can't be everywhere at once! I can't protect everyone all the time!"

Anders blinked back at her reaction. "Easy, sweetheart. I'm not saying you should," he replied softly. "I think talking to Elisif is a good idea. I just don't like the idea of her mentioning you at all to the Thalmor."

"She can ask them to stay away from Riften. I can deal with any other assassins if they send them. Besides, Elenwen never saw my face and I'm certainly not going to the Palace in my armor. They'll be looking for it."

Anders nodded as he finished his plate of food. "To bed after this, then? It's too late to go visit Elisif now, isn't it?"

Alessia nodded as she stood and took her dish to the wash basin.

"You haven't finished your dinner," Anders commented. "You have to eat to -"

"I'm not hungry, Anders!" Alessia scowled, and dropped her plate in the sink with more force than necessary. "I'm going to bed," she grumbled, and stomped up the stairs.

Anders watched her go and shook his head.

_She's got a temper, doesn't she?_

"Shut up, Justice!"

…

Anders had spent the night in the housecarl bedroom in the basement. He missed her warm body close to his, tossing and turning as he thought about her in his arms, but he eventually found sleep. He had woken up later when he had the nightmare and he had dozed off only to be woken up again by the voices which seemed even more demanding than before. He had eventually gone back to sleep, after much pondering over Alessia and his present situation in Tamriel.

The following morning, he got out of bed and prepared a bath for himself, then got dressed and headed up the stairs to the upper floor.

Alessia was sitting in front of the vanity mirror in the bedroom as she mussed with her hair, and she looked lovely. She had on a cerulean gown, trimmed in silver threading, with a low-cut bodice. He immediately felt the blood rushing to his groin at the sight of her clothed so differently from her normal armor or naked form as he normally saw her. She was looking at herself in the mirror and did not acknowledge his presence, so when he stepped into the room she stood and whirled around to face him, a dagger in her hand.

"I'm not the bad guy, I promise!" Anders smiled, holding up his hands defensively.

Alessia snorted before sheathing her dagger and turned back to the mirror. "My blade is poisoned, since it's all I can take and still look like a lady. You need to be more careful," she grumbled, making sure that the braid she had wrapped around her head covered her ears. "I shouldn't be too long," she said, finally pleased with her appearance as she turned to leave.

Anders grabbed her wrist as she walked by. "I'm not going with you?" he asked, a puzzled look on his face.

Alessia delicately tried to pull her hand away. "Anders, you've been seen with me in my armor, and my armor is pretty unmistakable. I just...you're already implicated and I fear for your safety, okay?" she mumbled, then turned again to leave.

But Anders tightened his grip on her and pulled her close. "I understand. Try not to get arrested, please?" he teased, looking down at her, his eyes fixed on hers. He sighed and his lips sought hers. She leaned eagerly into the kiss, but pushed away after a moment, their conversation from the previous night still fresh in her mind.

"Hurry back, alright? I'll be a nervous wreck before you do..." Anders whispered.

"I'll be fine, Anders," she smiled and pointed to the dagger at her hip. "It's not too far and they wouldn't dare try anything at the palace."

"It's not the palace that worries me, but the way over there," Anders said softly as he watched her go down the stairs.

…

Alessia took her time as she meandered up the hill to the palace, paying close attention to her surroundings as she bent to pluck some of the flowers that grew along the path. She noted nothing out of the ordinary as she put the blossoms in a pouch at her belt, and she shortly entered the large castle, walking up the steps to where the Jarl received her visitors.

Alessia curtsied gracefully to Elisif, who was looking at her oddly, but then her eyes widened slightly and she smiled warmly, inviting her to the room they had convened in on Alessia's last visit.

Once the servants were gone and the door was closed, Elisif burst out laughing. "I almost didn't recognize you without your armor! It's been so long since I've seen you in something different!" she laughed, but then looked solemn when she spoke again. "It's a good thing you weren't in it, after your stunt at the Embassy."

Alessia sighed and sat at the table. "That's precisely why I'm here, my friend. I wanted to explain my actions and ask for your assistance as well."

"I will help with whatever you need if I can," Elisif said, "But I warn you. The Thalmor have sent out a couple of assassins to look for you."

A feral smile crossed Alessia's face as she pulled the note she had found on the assassin she had dispatched out of her pouch, pushing it across the table. "I know. I've killed one of them already," she said, taking a long swallow of the wine in front of her. "I didn't just go to the Embassy to wreak havoc, ma falon." The term of endearment in the Bosmer tongue quirked the corner of Elisif's mouth as Alessia continued. "I went there to look for information on the dragons. A source told me that the Thalmor may be behind it, but of course my source was wrong."

Elisif smiled at the seemingly angry look on her friend's face, and patted her hand. "It does make a little bit of sense. The dragons would prove a distraction for the people of Skyrim. That way the people here would focus on the beasts, instead of getting rid of the Thalmor! Tell me what you need."

"Honestly, I can deal with the assassins," Alessia said with a smirk. "I'd like you to do what you can to keep the Thalmor out of Riften. Specifically, away from my _business _there."

Elisif nodded. "I have a dinner appointment with Elenwen tonight, and I'll be sure to mention that my guards saw you in Windhelm and leave it at that. I want to see what that traitorous coward does when he sees Thalmor in his city!" Elisif grinned widely.

Alessia smiled back, thinking on what seeing Thalmor in Windhelm would _really _make Ulfric do, but kept the thought to herself. "Thank you, my friend. I knew I could count on you," she said as she rose and took Elisif's hands in hers. "I am in your debt."

"Hardly," Elisif replied a genuine smile on her face as she hugged the half-elf before her. "You are the Dragonborn and protect us all. This is something small in comparison. Please, if you need anything else, let me know. I wish you were staying for lunch, but I gather you have other pressing matters?"

Alessia smiled sadly as she nodded. "Unfortunately, I'm a very important person with very important tasks," she joked as they walked back to the main hall. "Sometimes, I wish it wasn't so, but I suppose nothing can ever be easy."

"Nothing ever is," Elisif agreed. "Good luck, my friend. Until we meet again, may the Nine watch over you."

…

Anders heard her coming and went downstairs to greet her. She smiled at him as she entered the main hall of Proudspire Manor and he stepped closer to her with something behind his back.

"I've been reading a book in your library on how to make enchantments. It's not that hard, really. I just took one of the staffs you have up in the chest, disenchanted it and then...Well, I think you're going to like this," he said as he moved closer, standing directly in front of her. He held out one of her ebony daggers which glinted red in the light. "It has a strong fire enchantment on it. At least that's what I tried to do. I did drink a few enchanting potions you had next to the enchanting table just to be sure."

Alessia's mouth dropped open as she took the blade from his hand, turning it over in the light of the fireplace. "You...did this…for me?" she asked, her eyes raising to his.

Anders's eyes shone brightly with happiness. "Yes. Do you like it?"

She smiled up at him. "Of course I do!" Her smile faded and her brow furrowed. "After how I've been treating you?" she muttered, looking down at the ground, ashamed at her actions.

"It's all right. I understand why you've been out of sorts with me," Anders replied. "I just have to remember that you have a short temper. Much shorter than mine, that's for sure!" He laughed, then held up his hands defensively. "Joking! I'm joking!"

Alessia grinned. "You do realize that you just handed me a very sharp blade with an enchantment that would burn you to a cinder, right?" she said, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Ah, my lady, you wound me!" Anders murmured, bringing his lips down to hers. He kissed her with such passion that Alessia felt herself growing weak.

Nevertheless, she pulled back from his kiss reluctantly, looking up at him with a mischievous grin. "_Wound _you?" she said, waving the dagger at him. "I might have to! I need to change back into my armor, and then we need to get going." She pulled the pin holding her hair up and her hair tumbled down behind her to her waist, the braid that had been hiding her ears hanging off to the side of her long mane.

"Need any help?" Anders asked hopefully.

"I think I can handle it this time," Alessia said softly, thinking again of the previous night as she headed up the stairs. When she reached the bedroom, she closed the door on Anders, who had been following her closely. He sat at the table in the hallway looking slightly dejected at the barred door in front of him.

…

They rode in the direction of the Reach and instead of taking the roads that surrounded a small mountaintop, Alessia decided to climb to the top and take the road down from there, as she wanted to get to Karthspire faster. When they reached the top, she immediately jumped off her horse and crouched down; her eyes spotting one of the word walls with a dragon perched on top of it. Anders did the same.

"Is it...napping?" he whispered.

"This is Shearpoint. I've never been to the top," Alessia whispered back. "Dragons attack during the night sometimes and nap during the day…or so I've heard." She quickly unsheathed her bow and took a few arrows out of her quiver, pushing the arrows point down into the ground in front of her for easy reach. She then knocked another ebony arrow, aiming directly at the slumbering dragon as she waited for her lover to ready himself.

Anders quickly unsheathed his staff and focused on an Arcane Shield that quietly enveloped them.

"I'm ready," he murmured, concentrating on a Winter's Grasp spell.

The arrow flew and hit the dragon, which promptly woke and flew up, roaring in anger.

Alessia quickly fired a second, third and fourth arrow in rapid succession and the dragon flew past them, breathing out fire in its wake. Anders's Winter's Grasp spell hit it and it became sluggish, landing not far from where they were standing. Alessia continued to fire her arrows, her aim true. The dragon turned to Anders, who was nearer to it than Alessia and roared, spitting fire on him. But Anders had already anticipated the dragon's move and was already out of the way, flinging a Tempest spell at the dragon. It jerked it around a bit and Anders smiled before running back to where Alessia was standing, still firing her arrows at the beast.

As soon as the lightning spell had worn off, the dragon took to the skies once again and circled them, spewing fire as it passed over them. They both jumped out of the way to duck behind one of the many rocks dotting the area, but Alessia landed closer to the word wall, which began to glow in an eerie blue light as the chanting began. She backed away into a sarcophagus that started to rumble and the dragon landed directly behind her, cutting her escape off for the moment. The lid in the sarcophagus burst open and something flew out with an unearthly shriek.

It was the first time Alessia had seen a dragon priest, but she was not about to stick around to get acquainted with it. She turned to the dragon and cast Subterfuge, then rolled to the far left, away from it. The thing that had come from the sarcophagus screeched at the dragon and flung a Storm Wall at it using its staff and the dragon roared as it spouted fire at the powerful lich, but the creature had already glided away and continued to cast spells at the dragon as it flew out of range.

Anders stared at the undead thing and flung a fire spell at it, then ducked from one of the spells that had ricocheted off the dragon to where he was standing. "Get away from that thing! It's got nasty spells!" he yelled.

"Really? Here I was going to ask him for tea!" Alessia shouted back from behind her rock. "I think it's a dragon priest. I've heard about them, but never ran into one as powerful as this one!"

"Charming!" Anders exclaimed, as he twisted around to fire a Mind Blast spell at the creature who was getting too close. In the meantime, the arrows and spells had taken its toll on the dragon, which flapped its wings feebly and crashed, stopping directly in front of Alessia. She promptly unsheathed her blades and sliced its neck, hopping down as the dragon died. She absorbed its soul and quickly turned to focus on the dragon priest that was frozen by Anders's Winter's Grasp spell.

"Get its staff if you can! Otherwise, stay clear of that wall! The Arcane Shield will protect us, but not enough to live through that lightning spell of his!" Anders yelled.

Alessia pulled out some poison out of her pack and calmly coated her blades with it as the ice on the dragon priest began to melt. She quickly ran behind the lich and stabbed it.

The dragon priest screeched as it regained mobility, then turned to face her, but it was too late. Alessia's dagger had pierced its throat and in one swift movement, she decapitated it, the flames from her new dagger engulfing its head as it fell to the ground.

She knelt to catch her breath, then slowly stood, while Anders ran up to her and inspected her to see if she had any wounds.

"I'm alright, Anders. Really!" she smiled, then looked towards the wall. The words were still glowing and she walked slowly to them, momentarily enthralled by the chanting. The words washed over her and she took them, realizing that there were three of them this time, instead of the solitary word she usually learned. She focused on the soul she had absorbed from the dragon and the words became familiar to her as she learned them and the power that fueled them. Opening her mouth, she shouted, and the words "Hey! I'm over here!" were heard in the distance on the right.

Alessia turned to Anders in awe, a big grin on her face. "This is wonderful! This shout can be used to get out of tight situations! It actually throws my voice far from where I am to confuse the enemy!" she cried happily, clapping her hands.

"Ah, useful for a sneaky type like you, huh?" Anders grinned, taking her in his arms and embracing her. He thanked the Maker and Andraste that they were both safe. These fights were getting even more dangerous. Too dangerous for comfort.

"Well, let's just see what's at the bottom of the mountain, shall we?" Alessia smiled up at him.

"Work, work, work..." Anders said dramatically. "I'll have to ask for a raise in salary at this rate."

"Be careful, you might get it. And it won't necessarily be coin," Alessia shot back, then burst out laughing at the hopeful look on his face and winked.

"I have lots of things for you to carry!" She called playfully back at him as she approached the sarcophagus, while Anders stared at her longingly.

…


	15. Chapter 15

_**Sorry we took so long to post this one! We've had to deal with some health issues as well as the holidays! We'll try to get back to posting once a week as before! **_

_**We want to thank all those of you who reviewed: Graymalkyn, koguma, KnightOfHolyLight, Golden Naginata and MB18932 as well as those who have added this fic to their favorites and are now following it! :D We would also like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and prosper New Year as well! :D **_

_**This chapter has smut in it – very mature content - so fair warning! NSFW! :D **_

_**As usual our disclaimer: Bioware and Bethesda own everything! We just play with the characters! :D **_

Chapter 15

Alessia realized that they had traveled too far to the west, so upon reaching the bottom of the mountain she turned to look at the setting sun and decided she'd take the east to reach Karthspire. A secluded spot at the base of the mountain under a flat-top rock would make a perfect camping spot, and they settled in for the night.

She shook her head at Anders's advances regardless of her own yearning, mumbling that they had to be sharp because of the assassins the Thalmor had sent.

"I'll take the first watch and wake you up when it's your turn," she said looking up at him, her icy-blue eyes sad as they moved longingly towards the tent.

"A goodnight kiss, then?" Anders whispered as he claimed her lips. The passionate kisses they shared soon had Alessia trembling with desire while Anders moaned with pleasure as his hands roamed over her.

"Anders, it's dangerous here. There might be someone watching us this very second," she breathed, reluctantly stepping away from his embrace and sitting next to the fire. Anders frowned as he watched her, but realized that she was right and bade her good night, heading towards the bedroll in their makeshift tent to catch a few hours of sleep.

Not an hour later, Alessia heard his groans and moans and stood up, hurrying into the tent. He was covered in sweat, and was thrashing around on his bedroll, mumbling in his sleep.

"Whispering…so dark…"

"Anders," she said as she shook him gently. "You're having your nightmare…wake up!"

Anders's eyes flew open and he shuddered, his eyes dark with fear.

"They're getting worse," he said in a low voice. "I can hear more of them now…"

"Can you make out what they say?" Alessia asked, her face a mask of concern.

Anders shook his head. "No. But I can feel a certain urgency about something…" he sighed. "I wish I knew what…"

"I'll stay here and leave the tent flap open, so I can keep an eye on the camp," Alessia offered, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it gently. "You need to get some sleep."

"Thank you," Anders mumbled gratefully, settling into a more relaxing posture. He closed his eyes and his breathing gradually got deeper as he drifted off to sleep.

Alessia watched him with a worried frown. She had just realized something and didn't know what it meant.

It seemed that Anders only had his nightmare when she wasn't close.

…

They set out early the following morning and crossed the countryside, meeting a couple of saber-toothed cats along the way, which they promptly killed. Anders marveled at their sharp teeth and helped Alessia collect them. He cringed as Alessia used her boot knife to pop the cats' eyes from their sockets. Alessia snickered at his disgust for her alchemical needs. "If we ever need a health potion, you'll thank me!" They continued their journey east without any further incident.

When Alessia spotted the juniper trees, she knew they were in The Reach and smiled. Soon, they came upon some ruins where they were attacked by a ghostly archer.

"I cannot stop myself, please forgive me!" The ghost cried out as Anders flung an electricity spell at it.

Alessia saw more ghosts along the steps that led to the entrance of the ruin, and she met one of the ghosts that was coming down to attack her. She quickly parried his attack and thrust her sword into him.

"I do not want to do this!" The ghost howled as it died.

As Alessia and Anders quickly dispatched a third ghost that came running towards them, it also apologized for attacking them. They realized there was something sinister going on.

"We must help these spirits," Anders said, his eyes suddenly glowing blue. "They have clearly been forced to do this!"

Alessia silently agreed with Justice, as she went around, gathering the ectoplasm from the slain ghosts. She didn't like what was going on, having a strong sense of justice herself.

They went up the remaining steps to the elaborately carved iron doors that led to the entrance.

"We'll give them peace…and discover what is going on inside," she said, looking meaningfully into Anders's glowing blue eyes as she pushed the door open.

…

The inside of the tomb was pretty much the same as any other Nordic burial site as far as architecture went, but that is where the similarity ended. The usual draugr were conspicuously absent and the enemies this time were a series of subjugated ghosts that appeared in different spots to attack them.

They continued to fight their way through the first couple of rooms arriving at a huge chamber that was well lit. At the far end, Alessia spotted a word wall, and she started to approach, her eyes riveted on the runes carved on the rock as they began to glow with her approach.

She walked in a trance-like state, her eyes fixed on the wall and the chanting resounding inside her head at her approach, when suddenly Anders's hand shot out, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her back. "Watch it!" he snarled in a booming voice, pointing to a dark patch directly in front of a chest that was conveniently placed right in front of the word wall. Alessia snapped out of her trance and her brow furrowed.

"A trap! How original!" she murmured turning to look up at Anders. "Thank you," she whispered giving him a quick hug.

"We must stay focused," Anders replied in a deep tone. She knew it was Justice who had saved her from a possible perilous drop who knows where, and smiled up at him, realizing that Justice was the one who had returned her short embrace.

Anders blinked, his glowing blue eyes now on a door to the right. Alessia had spotted it too, so they both walked forward quietly down a series of steps where they were promptly attacked by three more ghosts.

After having dealt with them, they went down another flight of stairs. Alessia pulled on a handle which headed down another flight of stairs to an iron gate.

"There must be a switch that will open these gates," Alessia said thoughtfully, glancing around the corridor.

"Maybe where we killed the ghosts before we took the stairs?" Anders supplied hopefully.

Alessia was not surprised to see the blue glow in his eyes had vanished, but raised an eyebrow at the transition. They were two stories under the ground and since the stone there were probably infused with lyrium, Justice had chosen to retreat.

"Let's go check," Alessia murmured. They had to go up the stairs they had taken, and make their way up more stairs. The ghosts in that new area attacked them as well. Alessia quickly decapitated one while Anders flung an arcane bolt at the second one and the spirit mournfully screeched an apology before vanishing.

She found another handle in a concealed nook and pulled it. Turning to Anders, whose eyes were once again glowing, she smiled.

"It's funny to watch you appear, disappear and appear all over again," she chuckled.

Justice said nothing, but continued to stare at her, blinking slowly.

"Riiight," Alessia smiled as she turned back down the corridor. "I'd better get you back down to where we were so you can enjoy the lyrium!"

…

Once they got back to the gates again, they found them open and proceeded to what looked like the entrance to a large chamber. Alessia motioned at Anders to be quiet, and immediately crouched. Anders crouched as well, and kept his eyes on her lithe form as they inched forward.

They heard a man mumbling to himself and paused. Alessia quickly unsheathed her bow as she readied herself for a fight, while Anders focused on a powerful electricity spell.

"You're taking so long to open that damned chest!" the man babbled. "Come on! You know you want what is in that chest! Go get the treasure!"

Alessia sneaked past the entrance and finally spotted the man who was speaking to himself. He was wearing long, black robes and continued his monologue, oblivious to the fact that he was about to be attacked.

She quickly turned to Anders and he smiled at her, his eyes now a warm brown. "I'm ready!" he mouthed silently to her.

She nocked an arrow and waited for the warlock who was now pacing to come closer to their hiding spot. The warlock turned and walked down the chamber, nearing the spot where they crouched. Alessia let her arrow fly and it embedded itself directly into the warlock's chest. Anders flung an electric bolt on the warlock who now jerked around, a scream dying on his lips when Alessia stepped forward and slit his throat.

"Well, that was…mildly entertaining," Anders chuckled.

Alessia made her way past several cages, her eyes widening as they spotted the corpses within. "What in Oblivion was he doing to all these people?"

A journal on a table caught Anders's eye, and he picked it up. "I guess we'll find answers here," he commented as he flipped through the pages. "Looks like this…warlock was perfecting a spell, using the poor unfortunate souls who were trapped. I'm guessing this is why we kept running into ghosts. He was creating an army of sorts. I'm glad Justice stopped you from stepping too close to the trap door."

Alessia smiled up at Anders. "As am I. The call of the word walls is hard to ignore. I'm glad we stopped him," she said, stepping closer to Anders.

"I…I'm glad we did, too," Anders murmured as he looked down at her longingly.

She felt herself growing weak with desire as she held his gaze, her last week of depriving herself of his touch coming to a head. Anders suddenly pulled her into an embrace and his lips sought hers passionately. Running his hands along her back, he released a series of mild sparks, enough to make her moan with pleasure as she ground her hips at him. His deft hands found the buckles of her armor and soon her chest piece was clattering to the floor.

Alessia did not protest or try to stop him. She had been holding off his advances for a while and it felt good to feel his passion, knowing that down here, it was infinitely focused on her. His hands brushed over her breast band, stroking her nipples over the tunic she was wearing, and she immediately pulled it over her head, tossing it into the darkness that enveloped the light that was her and her lover's heat.

Fire coursed through her veins as they kissed, and she soon felt a wall pressed into her back. Anders had maneuvered her gently against it, and was now working on the lacings of his leather trousers. Understanding of his need to be, but not wanting him to be gentle after all this time, she put one leg around his waist and he gasped as she ground her warm moist core against his arousal. Trying to keep balance, he felt her wrapping her other leg around his waist as soon as he undid the laces.

The leather trousers slithered to his feet and he felt her hands on his smalls, frantically pushing them down and brushing a hand over his erection. A moan escaped his lips as he buried his face into the curve of her neck. He brought her closer to him and placed his hands on her back, fingers groping for the laces holding her breast band in place.

Alessia mewled with pleasure as her breast band fell to the floor and Anders once again positioned her against the cool stone wall. She felt his hands at her breasts and once again arched against his arousal. Anders managed to finally discard her smalls, the ties of her smalls at her hips giving him pause for a moment as they fell to the floor at the same time her hands succeeded in pushing his down. He gave a contented sigh when he entered her, filling her completely in a matter of seconds, then paused to catch his breath.

Alessia arched her back, gasping at the feeling of Anders inside her. With him completely sheathed within her, she opened her eyes and held his gaze with hers. A million words were said in that silent glace before she used her shoulders against the wall to push against him, her irregular breathing exciting him even more. He vainly fought for the last bit of self-control. He wanted to take his time and make love to her gently, but she was gasping his name and arching herself against him repeatedly. He felt his resolve disappear completely and pounded into her as her walls tightened around him. Sparks flew from his right hand and his fingers deftly massaged her clit. Alessia cried out his name, her walls convulsing as she finally reached her climax and he could hold on no longer. Thrusting deeply into her, he followed her over the edge, his cry reverberating around the room.

They kept their arms around each other until they caught their breaths, smiling shyly at each other. Alessia was the first to move as she put one leg down and then the other.

He pulled her even closer to him, burying his face into the curve of her neck. "That was wonderful, she whispered into his ear, trailing kisses down his neck. She felt him smiling against her shoulder and he lifted his head to gaze into her eyes.

"Yes," he said in a low voice. "You _are _wonderful."

She was flushed from their lovemaking and was looking at him through half-closed eyes. She had never looked more beautiful to him.

He kissed her gently and then pulled away. Alessia's eyes darted around the dark chamber.

"I can't believe it...there's a bed over there, look!" she exclaimed.

Anders chuckled. "I know."

"Well, if there was a bed then why didn't we walk towards it instead? We're too close to the cages where all the dead men are. The bed isn't that far away…" her voice trailed off as she met his gaze, smiling wistfully. "Not complaining, but it's kind of odd…"

"I don't think we would have made it to the bed," he grinned. He trailed a finger down her torso, making her shiver and bite her lip as he beckoned her to the aforesaid bed. She obediently lay down upon it, her naked form spread before him. He smiled as his hand lit up with a purple hue. "Karthspire can wait a few hours…"

…

They set out once again towards Karthspire very early the next morning. Soon they arrived at a bridge and Alessia smiled.

"Karthspire is just up the path on the other side of this bridge," she informed him. "We are finally there!" she got off her horse and wrapped the reins in her right hand as she led it across the bridge.

"Wonderful," Anders murmured behind her. "Another dose of Delphine is just what I need."

Alessia giggled unexpectedly as they made their way across the bridge and up a winding path. They were not surprised to see Esbern and Delphine standing very close to the top of the hill. Alessia nodded a greeting to Delphine and smiled at Esbern, then led her horse to a grassy knot next to the path. Anders followed suit and shook Esbern's hand, ignoring Delphine on purpose.

"You are finally here," Delphine announced, her eyes flashing momentarily with anger. "Took you long enough..."

Alessia smiled sweetly at her. "Aww. Did you miss me?"

Delphine's eyes narrowed, but before she could fling a reply at Alessia's remark, a roar was heard overhead and a dragon swooped down at them, leaving a trail of ice in its wake.

"Frost dragon!" Alessia called out, quickly unsheathing her bow and nocking an arrow. Anders had already focused on a fire spell and when the dragon made a second pass over them, he flung a fireball directly at it.

The dragon screeched as Esbern, who had joined the fray, hit it with a bolt of lightning just as Delphine drew her sword.

The battle proved harder than most, as they were fighting on the incline that led to the top of the hill, but when the dragon finally landed at the base of the path, Alessia nimbly ran towards it, leaving the rest behind.

"Andraste's knickerweasels!" Anders cursed as he quickly sped down the slope to reach her. He heard Delphine and Esbern running after him and did not stop until he was close to where Alessia battled the beast.

Alessia had already jumped onto the dragon's back and her sword sliced into its neck. The beast roared once and its neck fell to the ground when it died. Alessia deftly jumped down and faced it, adopting a defensive stance.

The dragon slowly disintegrated and the golden glow enveloped her. She took a deep breath as the dragon's soul filled her. The word wall in the Nordic ruins they had previously visited suddenly became clear, the power of the soul enabling her to learn the new shout and she instinctively knew that it would enable her to calm wild beasts if they tried to attack.

"Amazing!" Esbern's voice broke through her meditation. "You really _are _the dragonborn!"

…

When they reached the top of the hill and the entrance to the cave, they discovered they were overlooking a camp of Forsworn. The painted warriors swiftly attacked them and they fought back to defend themselves.

"Who ARE these people?" Anders cried out as he turned to deliver a fireball at a group of three archers on the far end of a wooden walkway.

"Forsworn! They attack to kill on sight," Alessia replied as she continued to fire arrows at their enemies.

"Watch their daggers, they're coated with poison!" Delphine yelled to them as she decapitated the one nearest to her.

"Is there _anything _in this world that isn't dangerous?" Anders replied, casting a Cone of Cold on a group of warriors that were too close.

"Are you _really _asking that question? Seriously?" Alessia shouted back slamming her Nightingale Blade into one of the frozen enemies, feeling her health regenerate slightly as the frozen Forsworn shattered. She then lithely ran up to the next enemy, decapitating him on the spot.

As it turned out, they had to kill every single Forsworn before they could make their way back to the entrance to Karthspire.

"I'm willing to bet there are more inside," Alessia murmured.

"Why are they called 'Forsworn'?" Anders asked curiously as they waited for Esbern and Delphine to catch up with them.

"Well, they are also called the 'Madmen of the Reach," Alessia smiled. "They are a group of Bretons - well, mainly Bretons anyway - who want to overthrow the Nords. In fact, their sole purpose is to fight off not only the Nords, but the Empire as well. Their camps are scattered all around the Reach, but they also inhabit other holds as well and are extremely hostile."

"I hadn't noticed," Anders deadpanned.

Alessia chuckled as Esbern and Delphine finally arrived.

"Their leader went down and we got the hagraven. This whole area is clear at last," Esbern announced in a clear voice.

Alessia smiled at the thought of even more alchemy ingredients. "I can't wait to get my hands on the Briar heart," she aimed at Esbern, who shrugged. "Alchemical purposes, of course," Alessia mumbled at the calculating look Delphine gave her. Anders shook his head, a smile playing on the corners of his mouth as he peered into the dark entrance ahead.

"No! Don't put your staff away," Delphine scowled at Anders. "There are probably more inside the cave."

"Oh, good!" Anders shot back at the Breton, his eyes twinkling. "I was afraid I would get bored..."

…


	16. Chapter 16

_**We are both terribly sorry this took so long to post! My health hasn't been at all well, and RL kept us both from updating as we normally do. **_

_**I also want to let you all know that we both hate Delphine, and since this is an AU fic, we'll be changing the way she is treated in this fic, lol. We hope you understand this! **_

_**We'd like to thank all our wonderful reviewers: PheonRen, mwjen, CouslandSpitFire, MB18932, koguma, KnightOfHolyLight, and Graymalkyn, as well of all those of you who have added this fic to their favorites' list, and to those who are following it! **_

_**Our usual disclaimer: Bethesda and Bioware own! :D **_

Chapter 16

As Alessia and Delphine had correctly predicted, there were four more Foresworn very near the entrance of the cave. Three of them were Briar-Hearts, which in itself would have been daunting for them, as the Briar-Hearts were considered to be extremely dangerous and aggressive. Unfortunately for the Foresworn though, there were two mages in the group and between Esbern's ice spells and Anders's electricity spells, the Briar-Hearts soon lay dead on the ground as Delphine and Alessia quickly dispatched the fourth Foresworn.

"I think that's all of them," Esbern smiled, watching Alessia kneel to harvest the briar-hearts from the corpses, knowing that they were an expensive alchemical ingredient. "We should see what lies ahead, but go carefully."

Delphine took the lead. "I agree, let's not waste more time than strictly necessary."

They followed her along a winding path and soon came to stone stairs that led to a platform of sorts. Three carved stone pillars stood against a stone wall, and Alessia could make out a stone wall on the left. Closer inspection proved that the 'wall' was really a bridge.

Esbern was studying the symbols carved on the pillars, half mumbling to himself.

"That is the symbol of the 'Dragonborn'," he said pointing to one of the pillars. "I think we have a clue on how to solve this. If the other two pillars are moved to show the same symbol, then…"

"Then I suggest we try that," Delphine interrupted impatiently.

Alessia frowned at Delphine, then stepped forward. She moved the other two stones to show the same rune symbol as the one Esbern had identified. As soon as that was done, the stone 'wall' fell onto the platform heavily, forming a crossable stone bridge. Alessia quickly crossed it. Delphine and Esbern practically raced to the other side and both took the lead this time, unable to hide their excitement. Alessia turned to Anders and rolled her eyes, eliciting a bark of a laugh from Anders.

"This is dangerous. We have to stop here." Esbern's voice reached them and Alessia hurried forward followed closely by Anders.

They were standing in front of what looked like a courtyard, made up of carved stone tiles.

"Be very careful, now," Esbern warned. "I feel that the dragonborn symbol once again is the clue to solving this."

Alessia nodded. In front of her, she could make out the different symbols carved on the stone tiles. She wondered briefly if the fact that she was light enough on her feet that she normally didn't set off pressure plates and could just walk across, but decided to proceed slowly and carefully towards the opposite side, stepping only on the tiles that had the Dragonborn symbol carved on them. When she made it to the other side, she saw a chain hanging on a pillar and pulled it. This disabled the trap and the rest were able to cross the courtyard safely.

They proceeded into a dark, winding tunnel and emerged into what seemed to be an antechamber. A huge face-like stone mask was carved on the dark granite wall, and there was a round seal on the ground. Esbern once again solved the puzzle.

"This is a blood seal. That stone face on the wall is hiding the entrance to Sky Haven Temple. I remember reading about this." He turned to Alessia and smiled. "Your blood must touch the center of the seal, Dragonborn."

Alessia stole a glance at Anders and was surprised to see him struggling as the familiar blue glow came and went. She looked up at him with a questioning expression on her face, but he shook his head, clearly still fighting for dominance over Justice.

"Dragonborn?" Esbern called out and Alessia slowly walked up to the center of the seal and knelt. Pulling a short dagger from her boot, she proceeded to cut her palm and squeezed her hand into a fist, causing her blood to fall to the floor. As soon as it touched the center of the seal, the whole place rumbled and the face on the wall parted, revealing a dark gap.

"There it is! The entrance to Sky Haven Temple at last!" Esbern exclaimed happily.

At that moment, a loud thud echoed through the chamber and they turned back to see where the noise was coming from. Anders stood there, his staff pointing at the group, his eyes and whole body glowing brightly.

"Blood magic!" he roared. "You shall all die here!"

…

If anyone had told Alessia a scarce few weeks ago that she would be hurting Anders, she would have laughed hard about it, and probably asked If the person was insane. Yet here she was, facing him in battle.

"STAND DOWN!" she cried, her hands curling around the hilts of her weapons.

Justice made no move to heed her words. "I expected better from you!" he yelled.

"How many times have I told you that things aren't the same here?" Alessia growled, unsheathing her blades. "You may not like it, but what we do here will save every life in Tamriel! Only a Dragonborn can pass this test. What better than their blood to get-"

"There is NO excuse for blood magic!" Justice snarled.

After all this time of working side by side with Anders, she knew the stance that Justice took would end with a debilitating spell. Almost automatically, she opened her mouth and…shouted.

"FUS – RO – DAH!"

Anders was thrown through the air like a rag doll and landed against the far wall in the darkened antechamber with a dull thud. Alessia sheathed her weapons and ran to his side immediately. Delphine and Esbern stood rooted to the spot, unsure of what had just happened.

"Anders?" she whispered as she touched his forehead, a tear running down her cheek. He looked so pale, her heart missed a beat. Turning to the two stunned Blades, she called for help.

"Esbern? You can heal, can't you?" she asked frantically.

The elderly man walked over to where she was kneeling and knelt beside Anders himself, his hands immediately touching Anders's chest gently. After a few minutes he turned to Alessia, a frown on his face.

"He's got a few broken ribs and a broken arm. I can set the arm, and apply some healing magic, but he'll need to rest."

"Of course," Alessia said, nodding vehemently. "I have a pouch full of healing potions as well. We should try to carry him into the temple. There must be beds inside, right?"

Delphine crossed her arms and her eyes narrowed. From where she was kneeling, Alessia couldn't see the expression on her face, but her crossed arms were enough for her.

"I'm not doing anything else until you help me! Need I remind you of the fact that HE stood with me when I had to _prove_ myself to you and you hid behind a rock?" Alessia snapped, her eyes flashing angrily.

Esbern stood up, shaking his head. He pursed his lips as he first glanced at Delphine and then at Alessia. Sensing that it would probably come to blows if nothing was done, he ventured to offer a suggestion.

"We _could_ make a cot of some kind, put him on it, and try to carry the cot into the-"

"Absolutely not! This man threatened to kill us, Esbern! You surely don't want him in the same place we'll be sleeping!" Delphine interrupted shrilly.

"Then I'll have no more to do with you, OR the dragons!" Alessia hissed.

"You wouldn't dare! You would risk the lives of so many for this – this _insane mage_?" Delphine shot back at her.

"Don't tempt me, Delphine!" Alessia countered. "I can think of _one_ person I wouldn't mind risking the life of, and she is standing right in front of me!"

"How dare you th-" Delphine began, drawing her weapon as Alessia stood with a savage smile on her face, reaching for her dagger. At that same moment, Esbern stepped up between the two women.

"Please!" he exclaimed, holding out his hands in front of him. "This is _not_ what we are here to do. Delphine, your actions are not those of a Blade. We are sworn to protect and help the Dragonborn. We must help this man. Surely you see this?"

Delphine took in a breath of air and exhaled deeply. She slowly sheathed her sword. "You – you're right, Esbern. It's been so long that I –" she shook her head. "I must control myself. I'm sorry Dragonborn. We'll help you carry him inside."

Alessia nodded, a grateful look in her eyes when she glanced at Esbern, who smiled at her.

"Thank you both. This means a lot to me…"

"This doesn't mean I won't be keeping an eye on him," Delphine huffed at Alessia aggressively. "This man is dangerous and if he threatens us again, I won't hesitate to kill him."

…

When Anders opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Alessia sleeping on a chair right next to him, doubled over with her head resting on the bed. He tried to move and a sharp pain made him groan. Alessia's eyes immediately fluttered open.

"You're awake!" The relief in her voice made him smile, but the pain was so bad he could only grimace.

"That I am. What happened? And why does it feel like all the bones in my body are broken?" he groaned again.

"Maybe…because they were?" Alessia mumbled half to herself.

"What?" Anders interjected, trying to sit up, and failing miserably as the pain jabbed him. He lay back down panting, sweat breaking on his forehead while Alessia looked more forlorn.

"Well, Justice kind of showed up and threatened Esbern, Delphine and me, so…I shouted…" Alessia explained carefully, looking down at her hands. Anders's eyebrows hit his hairline.

"You…shouted?" He echoed.

"I didn't plan to shout…Justice wouldn't listen. I just opened my mouth and, it…well…sort of came out automatically." Alessia said sadly, still avoiding his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Anders. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Justice is hard and unyielding, sweetheart. He doesn't fully understand much about Nirn, yet. Also, the lyrium confuses him even more. I will never hold your actions with him against you," Anders replied, painfully raising his arm to turn her face to his. She searched his eyes for a moment then nodded, gracing him with a small smile. He smiled back, thinking back on his last recollections before Justice took over.

"I remember now. You had knelt in front of a seal and Esbern was saying something about the Dragonborn blood and…oh!" Anders finished talking, nodding. "I understand what made Justice come out. He – he is violently against blood magic. He must have thought you were doing a ritual or something."

"What in Oblivion is 'blood magic'?" Alessia asked, her brows knitting together.

"It's a form of magic which isn't allowed in Thedas. Blood magic requires the mage to use their own blood or the blood of others to perform spells. They control minds this way and wreak havoc among people to gain power."

"There isn't anything that I know of here like that," Alessia interrupted, giving Anders a pointed look. "Justice, I know you can hear me! There is no such thing as blood magic here! Necromancy-yes. Blood magic-no."

Anders sighed. "Regardless, Justice saw you cut yourself. He reacted. Rather badly if he threatened you –"Anders stopped talking as realization slowly set in. He shook his head and sighed. "Don't tell me…this happened in front of Esbern and Delphine, right?"

"Well of course it did," Alessia nearly snapped. "They were with us, weren't they?"

"Andraste's tits!" Anders swore.

"Swearing will get us nowhere, I'm afraid. I threatened to stop helping them kill the dragons, or Alduin, for that matter. I threatened to turn away from helping the world, actually…"

Anders eyes widened slightly. "But…you're the Dragonborn! You can't just do that!" he exclaimed.

"I can, and I would have. Especially after what that bitch Delphine-"Alessia seethed, before shaking her head and taking a deep breath. "But, Esbern made Delphine see that they are the ones that should be helping me, not the other way around. She is the one that doesn't like you, and she likes you less after this, I'm afraid." Alessia finished her eyes now sadly regarding Anders.

"Oh, I'm hurt," Anders scoffed, a smirk slowly making his lips curl at the corners. "I really don't give a damn what Delphine thinks. But what was Esbern's reaction to all this? Did you get a chance to talk to him?"

Alessia nodded and smiled. "I did. I told him you weren't from here. I told him how you 'fell' into my life." Her smile turned into a grin and Anders laughed, which made him groan in pain again. Her grin faltered in concern as she rubbed his arm comfortingly until he looked back at her expectantly, prompting her to continue. "He was most intrigued about it all. He says it's 'fascinating'. He's been here every day, healing you…"

"Every day?" Anders asked.

"Well, you've been unconscious for nearly five days now," Alessia said. "We're inside Sky Haven temple, as you might have already guessed."

Anders smiled. "Not a hard thing to do. So, what did you find out about defeating Alduin?"

Alessia frowned. "There is a carved wall - an entire wall in the middle of the Great Hall. It's quite intricate and beautiful…Anyway, Esbern deciphered it. Apparently Alduin was defeated a long time ago with a shout of some kind."

"I wouldn't say Alduin was defeated if he's still around flying today," Anders smiled. "A shout, you say? Then that's right up your alley, isn't it?"

"Well, yes…but I don't know that shout and both Esbern and Delphine have never heard of this before. I'll need to get to High Hrothgar to ask Arngeir. He may know about it." Alessia said thoughtfully.

"I'm holding you up, aren't I?" Anders frowned. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be silly! I'm not going anywhere without you, you should know that by now!" Alessia chuckled. "Besides, Esbern thinks you'll be all right in a few more days."

Anders focused on his whole body and smiled. "He's done a good job, as far as I can tell. I think I'll be fit enough to travel in two or three days at the most."

"I don't really understand how you can heal so quickly," Alessia wondered.

"It's a Grey Warden thing," Anders grinned. "One of the few things that makes being a Warden worthwhile."

…

Anders healed even faster in the couple of days that followed. He applied some of his own healing magic on himself, even though Esbern checked on him and healed him three times a day. At the end of the second day, Esbern and Anders had become good friends and Anders told him about the Eluvian that had shattered, bringing him to Skyrim. Esbern listened to the whole detailed story, completely enraptured by the tale, and asked a lot of questions. The elderly man was really as fascinated by it as Alessia said he was, and Anders went on to explain the kind of world Thedas was to Esbern as well.

"Fascinating! This is all so fascinating!" Esbern would say, then ask even more questions about the world Anders had left behind. When it was time for them to set out to High Hrothgar, Esbern was a bit sad when he bade them good bye and a safe journey.

"There is a blessing that will help you fight the dragons," Esbern told Alessia as she hugged the old man. "Here, I will bestow it upon you. Fight well!"

Alessia felt a surge of power and bowed her head, letting it envelop her completely. She raised her head, and her eyes met and held Esbern's.

"Thank you, Esbern," she whispered.

"All this emotional mumbo jumbo is making me sick," Delphine snarled from the corner. "Just get the shout quickly, will you?"

"You know, I knew an elven mage in Amaranthine once that was exactly like you," Anders remarked, his twinkling eyes on Delphine, a vast difference from the glare she earned from Alessia. "I daresay if you two met, you would be the best of friends!"

…

They travelled across The Rift as quickly as possible. They had almost arrived at Ivarstead when they were attacked by a dragon, and they both worked so well as a team that they managed to kill it quickly.

"We're getting really good at this dragon slaying thing, aren't we?" Anders grinned as he put his staff back on his back and Alessia began attempting to pluck bones from its corpse.

"Ultimate dragon slayers," Alessia agreed, chuckling. She rose from her task, putting a few scales and bones into her pack. "We're almost at Ivarstead, but it's getting dark. We should stay at the inn, and then set off first thing tomorrow," she said, squinting at the sky.

"I'm actually hungry," Anders said, smiling as she rolled her eyes. "I like the food the inns serve here. And the ale is actually in bottles, so it can't get watery, can it?"

"Oh, no…" Alessia wrinkled her nose as she steered the horse to the right. "I am _not_ going to get into another drinking contest with you!"

"Spoilsport," Anders deadpanned. "I can see we'll be having a champion time at the inn, then. The rooms there are filthy, and the beds – worse!"

"You didn't seem to complain while we were in the last Nordic ruins," Alessia purred, raising an eyebrow at him.

Anders burst out laughing. "Well, how could I complain about the company?" he teased back. "Most alluring, I assure you."

Alessia snickered. "Oh, yes. Corpses littering the premises are extremely alluring! We'd better hurry. I want to make it to the village before night falls." She spurred her horse to a gallop and Anders did the same.

"You know, we'll have to do a little dungeon delving soon," Anders called out, when he was riding right next to her.

Alessia laughed. "No doubt you want a little more intimacy, am I right?"

"You wound me, my lady!" Anders replied in mocked indignant tones. "I just think it would be a good idea for you to come across more word walls, so you can learn more shouts, that's all!"

She turned to him as he gracefully rode his horse, thinking back fondly of the time when he knew nothing of riding. "If you say so!" she exclaimed with a wink spurring her horse again-intent on beating Anders to Ivarstead.

They arrived at Ivarstead and dismounted. The stars were already popping up in the deep violet sky and Anders found himself gazing up at a purple shining curtain of color in the horizon.

"Auroras, I think I told you of them," Alessia commented smiling. "The night skies are often lit up like that. Purple, blue, green…waves of color across the blackened sea of stars," she commented, immediately blushing at her poetic description. Recovering quickly, she said, "I love these purple ones."

At that moment there was a scream coming from a woman who was walking towards the inn. Two vampires had suddenly materialized along with two hounds. They killed the woman and moved on to the next villager, who drew his sword in defense of himself. Anders froze the dogs on the spot, delivering a chain lightning bolt at the two vampires. Alessia decapitated one and gutted the other as he twitched violently from Anders's spell. He fell to his knees and Alessia beheaded him as well, briefly thinking of vampire lore and deciding that headless was _more_ dead than a normal death.

When the battle was over, Alessia sheathed her weapons, and looked down at the poor woman's corpse.

"I really think I need to get to the bottom of this whole vampire thing," she murmured, turning to raid the now dead vampires of their worldly goods and ashes. "They are much too bold and I don't remember Cyrodiil vampires behaving this way at all!" She shook her head and glanced up at Anders. "Come on. Let's get inside and get something to eat. All this fighting has made me hungry!"

…

Arngeir shook his head solemnly, his eyes flashing angrily.

"Where have you heard about this shout?"

Alessia frowned at his reaction. "On Alduin's Wall, in Sky Haven Temple. Esbern, a former Blade deciphered the carvings and-"

"Blades! I should have known they would catch up with you eventually!" Arngeir interrupted, his voice now full of contempt and disgust. "No, Dragonborn, I cannot help you."

"But how am I going to stop Alduin now?" Alessia half-pleaded with him. "He will win and end the world!"

"Have you ever thought that maybe Alduin was never meant to be stopped or defeated? Let the world end and be reborn!"

"No! I have to help everyone and save them! This is why I am here! It is my destiny!" Alessia protested, her voice shaking with emotion.

At that moment, one of the Greybeards, Einarth, spoke and the whole floor shook.

"Arngeir. Rok los Dovahkiin, Strundu'ul. Rok fen tinvaak Paarthurnax."

Arngeir sighed and turned back to Alessia. "Forgive me, Dragonborn. I let my temper get the best of me. The shout you speak of is called 'Dragonrend'."

"Then will you teach me this shout?" Alessia asked hopefully.

"I cannot. I do not know it. But you should speak to Paarthurnax. He might know of the shout you need," Arngeir sighed.

"Who is Paarthurnax?" Alessia inquired.

"He is our leader, and lives in seclusion at the very top of this mountain. The way to him is dangerous. We shall have to teach you a shout in order for you to proceed. It is the only way you can bring down the invisible walls that will keep you from reaching him. Come out to the courtyard with us, please." Arngeir and the other three Greybeards walked towards the courtyard doors, stopping only to open them and step outside.

"This Paarthurnax is a bit touched if you ask me," Anders muttered behind Alessia. "Why would anyone in their right mind live on the top of a mountain with all this snow and ice? It's insane, I tell you!"

…

The shout, 'Clear Skies' would help Alessia clear the heavy mist impeding their progress up the mountain. It did not, however, help them against the ice wraiths that inhabited the icy road on the way up.

After killing a third one, Anders shook his head as he watched Alessia drain the corpse of its essence and saw off its teeth. He was extremely cold and tired of trudging through so much snow and ice. Even the Arcane Shield he had cast around them both failed to get them to feel warmer.

"I'm only stopping for a moment, I promise. Any longer, and we'll freeze for sure," Alessia said loudly above the snow and ice.

"Really? And here I was thinking of stopping for tea," Anders shot back, his teeth chattering. "Tell me, why are we doing this again?"

"I just hope he knows 'Dragonrend' so we can hurry up and get this over with," Alessia shouted back, looking up the path as she tried to see through the blowing snow. "I think we're nearing the summit now. I can make out a stone wall up ahead!"

Alessia braced herself and put another foot forward, advancing slowly but surely to the top. The steep incline was slippery, but she stubbornly held on.

It stopped snowing when they reached the wall, which looked very much like all the world walls that Alessia had seen. The runes on this one, however, were not glowing.

At that moment, a huge dragon few up overhead, swooshing past them as it veered sharply to counteract the high winds.

"Great," Anders shouted. "Another dragon attack. I was starting to get bored." He whipped out his staff and adopted a defensive position while Alessia unsheathed her sword and dagger quickly.

The dragon landed right in front of Alessia with a resounding crash and the snowy ground shook as she readied her blades. She faltered in her actions as it sat still for a few moments and watched them, trading a confused look with Anders. It flapped its wings close to its body a few times and held its head down in a submissive gesture, seeming to placate them before coming near. Turning its scaly head, it inspected Alessia and Anders, fixing them with a golden stare.

"Drem Yol Lok. Greetings, wunduniik. I am Paarthurnax. I knew you would come eventually, Dovahkiin." The dragon shifted his gaze to Anders. "Anders of Thedas - mage and healer…I did not expect you, but I formally greet you as well."

_**Transcription of Einarth's words to Arngeir:**_

_**Einarth: "Arngeir. She is Dovahkiin, Stormcrown. She will speak (with) Paarthurnax."**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Thank you so much koguma, Golden Naginata, CouslandSpitFire, KnightOfHolyLight, Graymalkyn and MB18932 for your awesome reviews! :D **_

_**Bioware and Bethesda own, we swear! :D **_

Chapter 17

Alessia's mouth gaped; astonished at the fact that Paarthurnax was a dragon and so far, a _polite_ dragon. Not only that - a dragon who _knew _who Anders was!

Paarthurnax fixed her with a large golden eye as it turned its massive head towards her, the scales of its face moving as if arching an eyebrow at her. "You should close your mouth, Dovahkiin. An ice wraith may fly into it," it said, following the comment with a series of short growls, the dragon equivalent of a chuckle.

Anders was the first to recover, barking a laugh. "A joking dragon? Well, now I've seen everything!"

"You are the leader of the Greybeards?" Alessia asked. The dragon bowed its scaly head as if nodding in answer, so she was a little surprised when it spoke afterwards.

"I am. It has been a long time since I have spoken to one of my kind," Paarthurnax rumbled.

"I am not a dragon," Alessia corrected, tilting her head as she fixed her icy blue eyes on Paarthurnax.

The dragon huffed at her, slightly annoyed at her ignorance, the warm air blowing her hair back. The heated burst felt good against her cheeks in the harsh environment of the Throat of the World…and oddly, made her feel more easy with the beast before her, a smile forming on her lips.

"You are Dovahkiin," the dragon rumbled. "You may not have the body of a dovah, but you share the blood and soul of one."

"How is it that you know my name?" Anders asked, now frowning at the dragon.

"I know many things, Anders of Thedas. I know of the accident of fate that brought you to our world. Krosis," Paarthurnax replied, bowing his head low in apology. "It is not the time for you, but for the Dovahkiin. Alduin soars the skies, and she will soar as well. Your fate will be known when it is time." The great dragon turned its long scaly neck to get a better look at Alessia. "Why is it that you have come, Dovahkiin?"

"Can you teach me Dragonrend?" Alessia asked, a hint of a smile at the corners of her lips.

"Drem. Patience. There are formalities which must be observed, at the first meeting of two of the dov," Paarthurnax said, turning its neck to walk towards the old weathered word wall in front of him. "By long tradition, the elder speaks first." He turned to gaze at Alessia for a few moments, then turned back to the wall. "Hear my Thu'um! Match it, if you are Dovahkiin!"

As soon as Paarthurnax finished speaking it opened its mouth again and roared. Flames burst forth, etching a word of fire on the dilapidated stone wall before them and at the same time, Paarthurnax shouted. "Toor...Shul!"

Alessia stepped forward almost automatically, as if in a trance. The word burned into her very soul as she stared at the wall, astonished yet again by the feeling of the knowledge of the dov.

"A gift, Dovahkiin. Yol. Understand fire as the Dov do." The great dragon turned to face Alessia. "Now, show me what you can do. Greet me not as mortal, but as dovah!"

Alessia took a deep breath and shouted. "YOL!" and the fire burst forth, directly onto Paarthurnax. Flames rolled across his scales, and Alessia was surprised to discover that her mouth was not burned.

"Aaah, yes!" Paarthurnax grumbled contently, seeming to bask in the sound of her shout. "Sossedov los mul. The dragonblood runs strong in you. So. You have made your way here, to me. No easy task for a joor...mortal. Even for one of Dovah Sos. Dragonblood. What would you ask of me?"

"Can you teach me the Dragonrend shout?" Alessia repeated patiently, trading a look with Anders, who still seemed astonished by the whole scene.

"Ah. I have expected you. Prodah. You seek your weapon against Alduin. Alduin komeyt tiid. What else would you seek? Alduin and Dovahkiin return together," Paarthurnax said, musing to itself. "But I do not know the Thu'um you seek. Krosis. It cannot be known to me. Your kind, joorre - mortals - created it against the dov...the dragons. Our hadrimme - our minds - cannot even...comprehend its concepts."

The smile that Alessia held upon her face for the dragon before her fell. She lowered her gaze for a few moments, but then lifted her clear blue eyes to Paarthurnax's golden ones again. "How...can I learn it, then?"

"Drem. All in good time. Why do you want to learn this Thu'um?" Paarthurnax asked.

Alessia had the distinct impression that it - _he _already knew. Just like he probably knew why Anders was in Skyrim. Nevertheless, she answered his question.

"I need to stop Alduin."

"Alduin. The elder brother. Gifted, grasping and troublesome as it is so often the case with firstborn. But why? Why must _you_ stop Alduin?" Paarthurnax asked her, settling down in the snow in front of them.

"The prophecy says that only the Dragonborn can stop him," Alessia replied. There was a tone in her voice that made Anders tear his eyes from the dragon and instead fix them on her. She was speaking in a forced tone, but the expression in her eyes was fierce. Just as fierce as the words she had just spoken. The wind had stopped blowing and screeching around them, and the snow had stopped falling. Alessia stood etched against the purple and green of the night sky's aurora and the hundreds of stars above him; so small in comparison to the dragon, but eternally strong in the words that she spoke with so much certainty, fierceness and emotion. Anders felt his heart somersault as he looked at her, and try as he might, he could not tear his eyes away to once again look at the dragon.

"True..." Paarthurnax's rumbling interrupted his thoughts and Anders turned his head slightly to look at the great beast once again. "But qostiid - prophecy - tells what may be, not what should be. Just because you can do a thing, does not always mean you should. Do you have no better reason for acting than destiny? Are you nothing but a plaything of dez...of fate?"

Anders realized right then and there that dragons were indeed smart, and the stories of the dragons being the Old Gods in Thedas became more believable to him at that very moment. What was more, the realization that Paarthurnax knew who he was had to somehow be tied into everything, didn't it?

Alessia let out a long drawn-out breath. She shook her head slightly, a frown on her face and her eyes flashed with anger momentarily. "What better reason to act than to fulfill my destiny?"

The dragon bowed its scaly head so that it was directly in front of Alessia. "Dahmaan - remember, Alduin also follows his destiny, as he sees it. But, I bow before your certainty. In a way, I envy you. The curse of much knowledge is often indecision. But you have indulged my weakness for speech long enough. Krosis. Now I will answer your question. I live here at the peak of the Monahven - what you name the Throat of the World - because this was the very spot where Alduin was defeated by the Ancient Tongues. Perhaps none but me now remember how he was defeated."

"Using the Dragonrend shout, right?" Alessia asked, her voice nearly a whisper.

"Yes and no. Viik nuz ni kron. Alduin was not truly defeated, either. If he was, you would not be standing here today, seeking to defeat him. The Nords of those days - my friends - used the Dragonrend Shout to cripple Alduin. But this was not enough. Ok mulaag unslaad."

Paarthurnax turned his huge head, fixing his stare on a spot where the snow swirled softly, as if disturbed by an unseen hand. "It was the Kell," he finally said, as quietly as his voice would allow. "The Elder Scroll. They used it to cast him adrift on the currents of Time."

…

Paarthurnax continued on to tell them that if they found the Elder Scroll, brought it to the very spot where Alduin was sent to a different Time, then Alessia could probably go back in Time while reading the Scroll. She would have a vision and see what happened on that day. This would give her the knowledge of the Dragonrend Shout, and she would learn it directly from those who used it. He did not, however, know where to find an Elder Scroll. Alessia thanked him and told him she would ask Arngeir, as he would probably know where she could start looking. Then they spoke about the shouts, and Paarthurnax taught her how to feel the words to make the shouts even more powerful. Their conversation affected Alessia deeply; the past shouts that she had learned and the dragon souls that she had absorbed with their knowledge blossoming brightly in her mind. Anders did not pay much attention to the lesson and his mind drifted to what he had just witnessed.

Time was broken here. This was why he had felt the Veil was thin, and the whole thing - the bigger picture - was beginning to make sense to him - far more than anything in his life ever had. He still had to ask Paarthurnax some questions, but he knew that it was not the time to do so. Alduin had to be dealt with first.

Arngeir did not know where to find an Elder Scroll either. But he said that maybe Alessia would find some answers in the College of Winterhold. Anders jerked his head up, staring intently at Alessia. That they would be going to the one place he had been so interested in going for some time now made his lips curl up into a smile, which rapidly changed to a grin.

Alessia bade Arngeir goodbye and they set out for Winterhold.

"Oh, just try to contain your excitement, will you?" Alessia chuckled, slightly shaking her head at the expression of anticipation on Anders's face as they descended the steps from High Hrothgar. "You're going to start drooling in a few moments. Save it for when we get there."

…

Though they were still a few miles from the city of Winterhold, they could see the College rising majestically in the distance, high above the village below. Soon, they entered the city and left their horses at the stable. Alessia laughed at Anders, who was practically vibrating with excitement.

"It's not going to get up and run away, you know!"

"The building is beautiful," Anders said, a dreamy far-away look in his eyes. "I've never seen anything like this in Thedas. And I've travelled a lot, I can tell you..." his voice drifted off, and his lopsided smile, along with the look in his eyes caused Alessia's heart to skip a beat. She shook her head, more to herself, but Anders caught the slight movement. "Are you all right?" he asked with a concerned look briefly crossing his face as they made their way up the wooden steps to the inn.

"Hmm?" Alessia mumbled, blushing. "Uh...yeah, I'm ok. Let's get something to eat then head up to the College, alright?" she said, trying to divert his attention from her lapse in cognition.

"Ah! Food!" Anders replied, much to her relief, pushing the wooden door open for her. "Can this day get any better? I don't even mind the cold weather much anymore!"

…

After a quick meal and securing a room for the night, they ventured back outside and walked down the icy road through the small town, to where a large stone arch was built over a stone ramp leading upwards to the College itself. Standing under the arch was an Altmer woman in robes.

"You are at the College of Winterhold," she said, her eyes stopping briefly on Alessia then moving on to Anders. She noticed that he had a staff and a shadow of a smile appeared on her face. "My name is Faralda. You cannot pass, unless you can show me whether or not you have any magical talents."

Alessia frowned slightly. "My name is Alessia. I am the Dragonborn," she said, crossing her arms and gazing coolly at the elf.

Faralda's eyes widened slightly. "The Dragonborn?" she asked, but turned to Anders nevertheless. "I'm sorry, but the rules are quite clear. If you have no magical abilities and have no desire to learn, I'm afraid you will not be allowed to pass, but someone accompanying you could…"

Anders stepped forward, almost tripping over his own feet in his excitement. "I want to learn," he said, solemnly. Alessia startled, turning to look at him quickly and meeting his warm brown eyes. A smile grazed her face and her blue eyes twinkled as she let him take point in the conversation, an unsaid agreement between them. "In fact, there is nothing else that would make me happier at this moment..."

Faralda nodded, the smile that had been playing on the corners of her lips now blossoming into a grin. "I must first ask you to undergo a 'test', if you will. It is not a formality, but I need to know how well you can cast a spell."

Alessia bit her lip in an effort to keep herself from bursting out laughing. She looked away on purpose, for if she glanced at Anders, she knew she would lose what little control she had and fought the bubbling laughter that threatened to come to the surface.

"A test?" Anders's voice sounded amused to Alessia, but was probably serious to Faralda. "Of course, my lady. What do you wish me to do?"

"Let's say that I have been gravely injured," Faralda began, pausing a moment for dramatic purposes. Alessia felt her resolve weaken. "I would like you to perform a simple healing spell on me."

Anders tilted his head. "A _simple _healing spell? That's all?"

Alessia just couldn't control herself any longer and let out a very unladylike guffaw, causing Faralda to glare at her.

"There is nothing funny about this test, Dragonborn," she said primly, her glare hardening as Alessia continued to laugh.

"It's...it's not...Anders..." Alessia tried to speak between fits of laughter but couldn't finish a sentence.

"There now, my dear," Anders said softly. "If you don't control yourself, I won't be able to concentrate..." he said with a chuckle.

Alessia's giggles dwindled for a moment, then came back full force. "This is...just...SILLY!"

"Magic shouldn't be for your amusement," Anders said gravely. "I could perform a dance step I know...'Anders's spicy shimmy'. I tried that in Ferelden and it -"

Alessia snorted loudly and fought the urge to keel over into the snow as she laughed. "Spicy…shimmy?" she gasped, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Do you mind?" Faralda said in a cold, icy tone. "It seems you are both here to waste my time and-"

At that moment, Anders flicked his hands at her and a deep golden light enveloped Faralda, interrupting her speech. Her jaw dropped open and she stared at Anders, who was smiling at her.

"Will that do?" Anders asked coyly, his face a mask of innocence.

Alessia's laughter finally dwindled enough for her to speak. "He's an experienced mage, you grumpy old goat! And a healer, at that!"

Faralda cast an angry glance at Alessia before composing herself and continuing her speech to Anders. "The College of Winterhold is eager to receive new students," she spoke, adopting a business-like tone. "If you will follow me, we'll head up to the college itself, where Mirabelle Ervine awaits to show you around. Please follow me..."

…

The group followed the long stone bridge that led to the College, and Alessia paused, looking out over the empty space that used to be the city of Winterhold before the Great Collapse. Snow blanketed the deep valley below the College, pieces of buildings flung to the sides of the ravine leading down into the Sea of Ghosts far below them.

Anders followed her gaze and stopped short, a look of utter amazement on his face. Faralda stopped herself, and turned back to look at them.

"Oh. Yes. That's what is left of the city of Winterhold, after the Great Collapse," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"The Great Collapse?" Anders echoed, his eyes taking in the dilapidated landscape and churning sea beyond.

"No one is sure what caused it. The city of Winterhold used to be huge, rivaling any of the other main cities in Skyrim, but something happened to make the ground give way below the College and the city collapsed into the Sea of Ghosts," Alessia answered, smirking at the sour look on Faralda's face. "One of the reasons why most Nords distrust magic."

Anders eyes flashed blue for a brief split second, but he pursed his lips and kept quiet. Alessia had seen this, however, and put her hand on his arm. He smiled down at her and then looked at Faralda, who had turned and continued her walk. "I assure you that the mages had nothing to do with it..." Faralda's voice trailed off as she led them up the last length of the bridge and into the College proper.

"We should see about that," Anders mumbled as he followed up the inclined bridge. "Mages should not be blamed for something that they did not do."

…

After a few moments of looking around the grounds of the College, Alessia turned to Anders. "Perhaps we should get whatever information we can about the scroll before our tour? I know you're eager, but we need to do this, too."

"I'm willing to bet that any information on the scrolls would be in the library. I could do the tour and meet you there," Anders offered, a distant expression on his face. "Or you could do it on your own, I need to find out more about the mages here..."

Alessia frowned, her brow furrowing at the fact that so far, Anders had always wanted to go with her. "Alright, well...I'll meet you in the library then." The distant expression didn't leave Anders's face as he nodded and turned away, joining Mirabelle with a half-smile. Alessia had seen his eyes flashing with the telltale blue moments before and knew.

Justice had made his entrance, and once that happened, it would be hard to hold Anders's attention. Nevertheless, she jogged back to follow Anders and grabbed his hand. He turned his distant eyes to hers. "I understand, Anders," she said, her gaze pleading. "Just please..._be careful _here."

Anders nodded, a genuine smile on his face this time. "Don't worry," he whispered giving her hand a short squeeze and turning back to Mirabelle.

Alessia shook her head as she opened the wooden doors that led to a small foyer. A Nord mage smiled kindly at her and she smiled back. "Could you tell me where the Arcanaeum is? I need to find the librarian," she asked.

…

Alessia stared at the Orc mage sitting at a desk overlooking the vast College Library. He stared back, drumming his fingers lightly on the wooden surface of the desk.

"I need some information and was told you could help me," Alessia said, a smile on her lips.

"That depends," Urag gro-Shub said, narrowing his eyes. "I should ask you who you are first and what you are doing here."

"My name is Alessia, and I am the Dragonborn," she replied. His eyes grew wide, drawing his green skin taunt, but he remained silent. "I am here because I need an Elder Scroll to turn the tide of the war against the dragons."

"Well!" Urag exclaimed. "I'll be surprised at nothing else after this. An Elder Scroll? What are you going to do, hit a dragon with it?"

Alessia chuckled. "I just might! I've heard they are extremely heavy."

"Well, you aren't wrong about that," Urag smiled, the long teeth protruding from his mouth making it almost seem a grimace. "I have some books that may help you. Just make sure your hands are clean when you touch them!"

He waddled away, and came back holding two books, which he placed on the desk for her to look at. Alessia read the titles before picking them up: 'Ruminations On The Elder Scrolls' and 'Effects of The Elder Scrolls'. "I will be very careful with them, I promise," Alessia said, tucking one of them under her arm and skimming through the other one. The Orc frowned at her taking them, acting like an overprotective mother. Alessia chuckled and pointed to one of the many chairs in the Arcanaeum. "I'll be right over there. You can watch me read if you like!"

"No," the Orc said firmly. "Just be careful with them."

Alessia sat down, leafing through 'Effects of The Elder Scrolls', and after a short time, found that nothing stood out that would help her. She laid it down on the table next to her and opened 'Ruminations on the Elder Scrolls'. The pages were covered with swirls and pictures, with some words jotted down in the margins. _The author of this book must be a bit touched_, she thought, rising from her chair and returning to the librarian.

"What can you tell me about the author of this book?" she asked, handing it to him. "It's completely incomprehensible."

"Septimus Signus?" Urag said thoughtfully. "I haven't seen him in a while. But he seems to know more about the Elder Scrolls than anyone I've ever run into. You should visit him. He's been gone for some time, on a search for the Scrolls. I know the last place he had informed us he would be. Do you have a map? I'll mark the location for you."

Alessia eagerly pulled her map from her pack. "Please do! Hopefully, I can find him and he can help me. Though, I must say, he does seem a bit...crazy."

Urag made a strangled sound and Alessia realized it was actually a laugh.

"As insane as a barrel full of bats, yes. Here. This is where you'll find him..."

…


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N from moosesaregreat: **_

_**Holy crap, you guys! Over 100 reviews? *faints* But really, keep them coming! Both AC and I loooove them, good or bad!**_

_**Thanks to all who have added/favorited, and to all our awesome reviewers: MB189, koguma, Graymalkyn (yay Alistair Fan Club, I know who you are! O_o), ggs1995, KnightOfHolyLight (your reviews are awesome and informative! Though we may have some conflicting ideas – mostly me :D I-we-love you!), Golden Naginata, CouslandSpitFire…you guys…seriously! We couldn't do this without you!**_

_**AC has mostly written the last few chapters (with the exception of the last one) with me just adding things here and there, as I have been SUPERUBERMEGASTRESSEDOUT! Work, family…ugh. BUT! I hope you love this one as much as we do! Should we change the genre to romance and angst now? Haha**_

_**As always, Bioware and Bethesda owns this bidness. We just make stuff up! :D **_

Chapter 18

Anders made his way into the lecture hall for his first 'lessons'. He smiled to himself at Mirabelle's tour and as he crossed the grand room found himself in the company of three other fellow mages. His smile turned into a grin when he saw that one of the mages was a Khajiit. The Khajiit returned the smile, a heavy black mustache partially covering his mouth, which looked utterly ridiculous.

"You are new here, yes? Have you mastered the Expert level destruction spells yet?" the Khajiit asked him.

Anders's eyes twinkled. "Yes. I believe I have…"

The Khajiit's eyes widened slightly. "You…you have? Already? Well. J'zargo is surprised. And pleased! There is real competition here. This is good."

"Well met, J'zargo. My name is Anders."

Another one of the apprentices stepped closer to J'zargo and Anders, a smile on his face.

"I didn't think I'd see another Nord here," he said. "My name is Onmund and I'm also interested in Destruction spells."

Anders shook Onmund's hand. "Why are you surprised to see another Nord at the College?"

"Don't tell me you don't know? Nords are distrustful of magic," Onmund replied. "It has a lot to do with the Thalmor actually. People resent them all and with good reason." The third apprentice stood in front of them. Anders smiled at the dark Dunmer girl who nodded at what Onmund was saying.

"My name is Brelyna Maryon," the Dunmer introduced herself, her voice trembling slightly. "I – I'm a bit nervous about our first lesson, aren't you?"

"Not really, no," Anders smiled back. "I'm curious to know what we will be taught, actually."

At that moment, an elderly man made his appearance in the lecture hall. He crossed the room to where Anders and the three apprentices were standing; a smile on his wrinkled face and his kind eyes met and held Anders's.

"It's so good to see four apprentices wishing to learn more about magic," the elderly man exclaimed. "Gather around here, please. My name is Tolfdir and today I will be teaching you all about the dangers of magic and how to control magic to avoid them."

The three apprentices started to protest, eager to learn more about offensive spells than anything else, but Anders kept quiet as he watched each reaction and listened to what they had to say.

"We should be learning practical knowledge of magic. Skyrim is dangerous these days, what with the return of the dragons and the Civil War," Onmund said, his clear voice heard above the others.

Tolfdir noticed that Anders was the only one that wasn't talking and fixed his gaze on him.

"What do you think?" he asked. "Do you agree with your fellow classmates about learning practical magic today?"

Anders felt Justice grumble and he shook his head slightly, all traces of his smile lost. "Safety should be more important than anything," he replied, the serious expression on his face silencing his classmates immediately.

"You agree to this then, do you?" Tolfdir remarked, pleased with Anders's reply. "Well then, let's try a little experiment. What's your name?"

"Anders," the blond mage replied in a low voice.

"Anders. Please walk over there and cast a ward to protect yourself. We'll show the others how safety is important in battle."

Anders obeyed and immediately enveloped himself in an arcane barrier. When Tolfdir cast a fireball at him, the fire struck the barrier, dissipating into nothing.

"You see how useful this is?" Tolfdir addressed the rest of the class. "If you were in battle under attack and didn't have a ward up, it would mean your death. Now let's practice wards with each other and see if we can deflect offensive spells successfully."

…

Alessia made her way down the stone steps, wondering what had become of Anders. They had agreed to meet at the College library, and after close to an hour of waiting for him while trading awkward smiles with the Orc librarian's odd looks at her, he was still nowhere to be seen. She sighed as she arrived at the entrance hall where the Nord mage had given her directions earlier.

Turning towards the room beyond, she saw there was a class in progress and watched as Anders practiced with the rest of the mages there. She was quick to note that he cast his spells far more gracefully than the others, and was a little bit faster as well. She started to walk towards the huge circular room wondering if all mages had a penchant for circles, when her eyes caught a movement by the wall to the right.

The shadowy outline was just standing there quietly and Alessia frowned. The figure took several steps forward towards the class in progress and she drew her breath in sharply and eased herself into the shadows of the doorway, pulling up her hood. She recognized the black and gold robes anywhere. What was a Thalmor agent doing in the College of Winterhold?

The quavering voice of an elderly man who obviously was the instructor interrupted her thoughts.

"Splendid! We shall be heading to the ruins of Saarthal next week. In the meantime, please continue to practice your offensive spells and casting wards to protect yourself!" the old man said with a smile on his face. The elderly mage left the room, the Thalmor wizard following him. Alessia quickly crossed the room towards where Anders was standing. She watched as he disappeared through a door with the Thalmor wizard. Turning back to the students, she could see Anders deep in conversation with an elven mage and her eyes narrowed as she approached them, but when the dark elven girl glanced in her direction, Alessia planted a smile on her face.

Anders turned to see what Brelyna was looking at and his smile froze. "Oh, hello," he said in a casual tone, his eyes suddenly on a point above Alessia's head.

"We need to go, Anders. The librarian gave me the location we needed, and I can't be here right now…" Alessia hurried to say, her eyes flashing angrily. She kept a sweet smile on her face nonetheless, and Anders quickly said goodbye, waving at his other companions before he turned to follow Alessia out of the room.

As soon as they reached the snowy courtyard outside, which was also circular, she turned to face Anders.

"I can't be seen here, Anders. There's a Thalmor wizard following your instructor around," Alessia said, still peering over her shoulder as if the wizard may burst out of the bushes. He only gave her a confused look, his mind still trying to figure out what had caused the Great Collapse, and Alessia's voice rose, both in volume and an octave. "Remember? The people who want to dominate over everyone and specifically want to _kill_ me?"

"I haven't seen any Thalmor wizard here," Anders said a little defensively, a frown on his face. "Try to calm down, will you?"

Alessia sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, then lowered her voice to nearly a whisper. "The librarian told me there's a man who might know where to find an Elder Scroll. He lives somewhere in the Sea of Ghosts, so we'll have to rent a boat to get around," she said quietly.

Anders nodded. "Good. I'll have to be here in seven days though."

"You're going to Saarthal then? I imagine it's either a Nordic burial ground or a Dwemer building, since there are no named caves around here that I can think of," she replied, turning to walk towards the stone bridge.

"Alessia," Anders said, causing her to turn. "We need to talk."

Alessia's right eyebrow shot up to her hairline and she gave a small nod, her heart pounding loudly in her chest.

"I'll go with you to find this person who knows about the scrolls, and help you get the scroll itself. I'll continue to accompany you wherever we go, but I need to be here in seven days. I want to check Saarthal out…" Anders's voice trailed off as he groped for the right words to say.

"I'm sure we'll be back here just in time for Saarthal," Alessia said all in one breath.

"You don't understand. I want to help the mages here. I need to stay _here_ from now on…" Anders shot back, his usually warm brown eyes cold and distant.

"Is this Anders speaking or is it Justice?" Alessia practically snarled. Her heart had dropped to the pit of her stomach when she'd heard his words and tears were threatening to fall. She had to call on every ounce of strength she had in order to keep them from falling.

"It's both of us, actually, because we are one," Anders replied. "And it doesn't matter. I think I really belong here."

Alessia nodded her head woodenly. "Is this where I should try to explain that the Nords being distrustful of something they don't understand is NOT the same as abusing them as they did in Thedas? Are the lives of a few worth more than the lives of EVERYONE?" she snorted and shook her head. "I have the feeling that logic won't matter here. Well, for what it's worth, I appreciated having you along."

Anders did not reply. She felt anger instead of sadness and turned abruptly. "Let's go get that boat, so you can get back to what is more important to you," she muttered through clenched teeth.

They made their way down the bridge till they arrived to the town of Winterhold, and then made a turn down a snowy slope under an arch to the shoreline. Alessia knew that the Jarl had his dinner at the inn, and the inn got its supply of fish from the fishermen who traveled in boats along the coastline. She also knew that they fished early in the morning and early in the evening and since it was late in the afternoon, she felt they would soon meet one getting ready for the evening catch.

They killed a snowy saber cat that attacked them on the way, as the sun slowly made its descent in the horizon. By the time they had arrived at the shore, the sky had lit up as if on fire.

"There," Alessia pointed to a group of fishermen standing around their wooden boats.

"If they are fishermen, how are you going to get them to give you one of their boats?" Anders asked.

Alessia sighed. "I'll pay them what they normally make plus a little something extra, of course." She reached the spot and smiled at the man closest to her.

"Hello," she said as pleasantly as she could, her anger at Anders still trying to bubble to the surface. "How would you like to make more money than you normally make fishing?"

…

The Sea of Ghosts was calm and half-encrusted with sheets of ice here and there. They made their way across the water quietly, circumventing the frozen ice. Anders had enveloped them both in arcane shields as extra protection from the cold, but by the time they reached the lonely cave where Septimus Signus lived, their teeth were chattering from the cold.

Anders helped Alessia drag the boat across the ice to keep it from floating off into the sea and they made their way into the ice cave, climbing down a rickety wooden ladder. Anders stopped when he heard the ice creak menacingly, and Alessia nearly fell on top of him.

"The ice won't fall on us if that's why you are hesitating," Alessia hissed. "I'm kind of in an uncomfortable position here."

Anders shook his head, and for one brief second Alessia thought that he would have a witty comeback as he normally did, but he continued down the ladder without uttering a sound. She reached the ground trying to look down into the cave to keep the tears from falling again.

A mage in hooded robes was talking to himself below.

"Of course we'll be talking to an insane mage," Anders whispered sarcastically. "Why wouldn't we?"

Alessia slipped past Anders, relieved to hear he was still capable of a sarcastic remark and hurried down the slope to the man.

She greeted him with a smile on her face and soon had a lot of information regarding the Elder Scroll. The man talked on and on about the heart of a strange object sitting in the center of the cave, which looked like a Dwemer lockbox. He also gave Alessia a round sphere used to open a lock to get to Blackreach, where he knew the Elder Scroll was. He also gave her a mysterious cube which he called a 'Lexicon' that she had to use in order to obtain the scroll, and explained to her that it may hold the link to even greater knowledge. By the time she had finished talking to him, she was clear about what she had to do to get the scroll, and to bring the Lexicon back to him when she was through.

She thanked him and hurried to the ladder, climbed it and headed back to the boat outside, with Anders following close behind.

"So, according to this…scholar, we have to go to the Glacial Ruins of Alftand, and then go down to Blackreach which is really a Dwemer ruin. Did I get that right?" Anders asked.

"Yes. The Dwemer built all their structures from stone and most of them are underground. The Tower of Mzark is where the scroll is, apparently, and that is in Blackreach. We'll run into the Falmer there, so we have to be alert," Alessia replied.

"Falmer?" Anders echoed back, looking puzzled.

"They were Snow Elves once…or so the story goes. They were nearly driven to extinction and fled underground. Some say the Dwemer also used them as slaves and made them eat toxic plants to cause their blindness. As they are blind, they have an excellent sense of hearing, so we should probably sneak around to get past a large group. They are extremely aggressive and coat their blades with the poison they get from their pets – horrible-looking insects called Chaurus, and Frostbite spiders. I have some cure poison potions in my pack just in case we get poisoned, though. We also have to be careful about other dangerous things down there. If it's a Dwemer city, there will be a lot of elaborate traps and mechanical Dwarven spiders as well as other Dwarven constructs."

"The Dwarves sound like they were more advanced than the people who now live on the surface," Anders remarked.

"They were. But they sought power and disappeared suddenly, hence why they supposedly made the Snow Elves as deformed as they are. Conquest. No one really knows what happened to them," Alessia said as they trudged through the snow, uncomfortable with the fact that though she was angry at Anders, she couldn't help herself from trying to help him understand one of the many things that he didn't know about here.

It seemed as though they had been walking for ages in the darkness, with only the snow and occasional gust of wind as their only company when they came upon a domed building. Alessia smiled as her eyes made out a stone shack to the far right side. She hurried over to it, finding it to be empty.

"We can sit at the table here and eat something. If we build a fire, we can catch some rest before we make our way down to the excavation site. I know we'll need to be rested down there. It seems that others have been here before us. Hopefully we'll find them alive inside the glacial ruins," Alessia mused.

Anders said nothing to this, but got busy gathering some wood he had seen partially concealed under the snow at the entrance to the shack. He quickly got a fire going and they both sat next to it, sharing a meal of bread and cheese. Alessia handed him a bottle of Nord mead and opened one for herself.

"It's a good thing it's spring and soon will be summer. We wouldn't have been able to even travel to Alftand if that wasn't the case. There are terrible snowstorms in the winter here," Alessia informed Anders, trying to make small talk and gain his interest before settling down against the wooden wall, using her pack as a pillow of sorts.

"Spring isn't like this at all in Thedas," Anders murmured thoughtfully, as he finished his mead.

"I'm sure it isn't. Skyrim is a cold country. Cyrodiil was nothing like this. The northern regions like Bruma are, though. To the far south, places like Leyawiin are humid this time of the year. It's brutal there… but I've been here a little longer than you and am used to the snow and ice. Being half Nord helps, too. They are resistant to cold," Alessia shrugged. "Try to get some sleep if you can. I'll take the first watch."

…

As they advanced further into the glacial ruins, Alessia heard someone talking so she paused in her tracks, causing Anders to bump into her.

"Sorry," Anders began and was quickly silenced by a gesture Alessia made.

"Where is it?" the voice was saying. "I know you were trying to keep it for yourself, J'zhar…You always try to keep it for yourself!" A few footfalls followed and the sounds of someone thrashing things about in a frenzy. "No! There's got to be more Skooma…Shut up! Shut up! Don't lie to me, J'zhar! You hid it! You always try to steal from me!"

It sounded like a Khajiit, and one addicted to Skooma. Alessia put a finger to her lips and drew her daggers. She knew that the Khajiit would very likely try to kill or harm them. Skooma turned users into murderers, as well as thieves, to keep their drug use fulfilled.

She advanced slowly, sticking to the shadows and gently pushed Anders closer to the wall where it was dark.

A few seconds later, they came upon a couple of bedrolls, with a dead Khajiit lying on one of them. Alessia's eyes quickly spotted a journal lying next to a pool of blood. She crouched and picked it up, so completely swallowed by the darkness that Anders lost sight of her. He could, however, hear the pages of the journal being turned, so he knew she was still there.

"He must have killed him," Alessia's whisper reached his ears. "Skooma addiction will make anyone turn to murder for it…"

"Skooma?" Anders whispered back, in the general direction where he thought she was.

"Not enough time to explain. The surviving Khajiit is probably nearby and is dangerous," she shot back, a bit of annoyance in her voice. "Suffice it to say it's a drug used by some people on Nirn."

She materialized close to the wall farthest from where he was standing, so he crossed the small room only to be jumped at by a raving Khajiit who was foaming at the mouth.

"Who is this, Brother?" J'darr yelled as he held Anders in a vise-like grip. Alessia noticed he had not seen her, so she crouched and let the shadows envelop her completely. "Another one of the smooth skins looking for food? But this one wasn't trapped with us! You must be the one who took my Skooma!"

Alessia suddenly materialized behind the Skooma addict and backstabbed him. J'darr's body slid to the stone floor with a dull thud.

"I could have healed him!" Anders exclaimed.

"No doubt," Alessia replied calmly. "But to what purpose? He would have returned to his addiction and led a miserable life. You only would have stalled his imminent death. I did him a favor."

"We could have found out more of the expedition he was in," Anders muttered as Alessia went through the two backpacks on the ground, obviously belonging to the dead Khajiits.

"Not necessary. The journal I read mentions at least three more," she shot back coolly.

Anders kept silent and his eyes scanned the stone path that led to the darkened ruins ahead.

"I'm glad to have gone through all their belongings," Alessia finally broke the silence. "I found more Cure Poison potions and some health potions as well. Let's keep moving."

…

Alessia had warned him about the automatons in the ruins, but the first time Anders set eyes on a Dwarven spider he was so surprised and enthralled by it, that he literally froze. It was Alessia who sprang on it, slashing out and destroying it before it could zap them with electric bolts. When the spider exploded, it sent out lightning bolts and Anders saw it strike Alessia as she jumped back. She quickly recovered, kicking a piece of the spider across the room. "That hurt, you little shit!" she grumbled, before kneeling to poke through the remains.

"Ah! A common soul gem filled with a soul! My dagger needed some charging!" she exclaimed as she pressed the soul gem to the dagger Anders had given her in Proudspire Manor a while back. A reddish orange light briefly enveloped the weapon as the gem disappeared from her hand.

"They _do_ look like spiders! And jump like them," Anders said. "Lightning is nasty. Are you all right?"

"I am. Thanks for your concern," Alessia replied, moving away from the metal scraps that remained on the ground. "You must be sharp Anders, there are probably many more ahead, as well as spheres, which are deadly."

"Sorry I got distracted. It surprised me," he mumbled, keeping close to her as they went up stone ramps that took them further into the ruins.

"Just try not to let it happen again," she almost snarled, then stopped, pointing at a tile on the floor. "Trap! Follow me closely."

They stepped around it carefully and Anders spotted a metal ball travelling at a moderate speed along the corridor ahead. "Is that one of the spheres you mentioned?"

Alessia instantly put away her daggers and brought out her bow. She nocked an arrow and aimed as Anders focused on a Winter's Grasp spell.

The arrow landed squarely on the sphere, which quickly transformed into a humanoid form and zipped over to where Alessia was. Anders's spell hit and covered it with snow and ice, momentarily immobilizing it. Alessia took advantage of this and slashed it with her daggers, quickly leaving her bow on the ground behind her. The sphere was soon lying in pieces all over the floor and Alessia went through its remains as well, finding another soul gem and putting it into her pack.

They went deeper into the ruins running into more Dwarven Spiders and Spheres along the way. Their progress was slow as Alessia also stopped at the chests, finding jewelry and potions inside them and pieces of Dwarven armor in some. The ruins now were laden with pistons that hissed and produced hot steam. The noise was deafening but Anders's eyes took in each detail, finding himself admiring the race that had managed to build such marvels so long ago. When they stopped to eat, he was quick to ask more about the Dwemer and Alessia told him she didn't know much at all, but was quick to explain about the elaborate traps in their underground cities as well as the constructs they were fighting.

When their meal was done, they resumed their journey, arriving at a big golden door that led into the Animonculory.

"This is where they made all their automatons. You can see shelves of them further down the area, waiting to be awakened with the soul gems. Gods forbid we come across a Centurion," she shuddered. "They're twice as tall as you and extremely hard to kill. Brynjolf, Karliah and I ran across one when we were chasing after Mercer in a Dwemer ruin and…" she cut herself short, with a sharp glance at Anders, who was staring down the corridor. "But that's neither here nor there." Angry at herself for reminiscing to him, she silently pushed on down the stone hallway.

They found another corpse of one of the expedition members – a Wood Elf. Alessia read his journal as well and pocketed it silently, examining the body carefully. "Falmer arrows killed this one…Be ready," she whispered.

Anders nodded back, his eyes scanning around the rooms and helping her fight and defeat any metallic spiders that appeared seemingly out of nowhere. They kept going until they reached a balcony of sorts, and ramps twisting downwards. There was a dead body lying on one of them.

"That must have been another member of the expedition. An Orc, too. Orcs are tough. Unfortunately, the Falmer are more numerous," Alessia whispered.

"Orc? He has green skin…" Anders began and Alessia smiled to herself.

"Another one of the races on Nirn. If you would have come to the library like we agreed, you'd have seen one," she replied haughtily, then quickly turned her head, her sensitive hearing picking up a scuffling sound. Her brow furrowed. "Falmer up ahead. Be careful!"

It was the first time Anders laid eyes on one of the Falmer. They were hideous creatures and he could feel the evil emanating from them. He was surprised to discover that they reminded him of the Darkspawn. They quickly dispatched the first two, undoubtedly sentinels of a sort and advanced through another golden door where there were various huts set up with strange weapons and chests around them.

"Falmer camps," Alessia warned as she sneaked along a path, readying her bow.

The battle that ensued was brutal. Anders could think of no other word for it. The creatures came at them in droves. In the end, he realized that his spells are what probably saved their lives. There were several Chauruses that attacked as well, spitting their poison and Anders found out with alarm that Alessia had been showered with it. When the battle was over, she fell on her knees, wheezing, and he jogged over to where she was, his heart in his throat.

"Potion, backpack," Alessia panted and Anders ransacked her pack, handing her a bottle which she quickly drank. The color returned to her cheeks immediately afterwards and she stood up unsteadily, so he quickly moved in to hold her.

"I'm fine, really. The potion has done its job. Let me go, please," she said, pushing herself away from his embrace as she busied herself walking around the camp and opening Falmer chests for the treasure. Nevertheless, Anders followed her around and watched her closely just in case.

…

They finally reached the final room in the ruins, and fought their way to a lift to the surface. Alessia operated it and they breathed in the fresh air of the mountains before operating the lift once again which took them back into Alftand. They were not alone when they returned, however. A female Redguard and an Imperial officer were bickering at each other, close to a receptacle of sorts and the lift and stopped their discussion when the doors of the lift opened, revealing Anders and Alessia standing there looking at them. They both attacked Alessia first, as she was the closest to them.

Anders quickly cast a Chain of Lightning spell which had them jerking about and Alessia finished them off.

"This receptacle looks like it would hold one of the objects Septimus Signus gave me," Alessia said, approaching it. She took out the sphere and laid it on the rounded surface. For a moment nothing happened, but then there was a deafening noise, and Alessia stepped back as she watched the whole area around the receptacle retract and stone stairs leading the way down.

"Looks foreboding and dark," Anders commented.

"Looks like the way to Blackreach," Alessia countered, already taking the steps downwards. Metal gates opened and Alessia took a first step into the vast area, catching her breath at the sight in front of her.

Anders looked around, his eyes widening.

"Maker's breath!" he exclaimed, struck dumb immediately afterwards by the sheer magical beauty that enveloped them both. It was as if they had stepped into a land only found in dreams.

An arrow zipped by Alessia's right ear, and her keen eyesight spotted a Falmer advancing on them, so she quickly brought her bow and nocked an arrow.

"This is going to be fun!" she exclaimed as she aimed.

…


	19. Chapter 19

_**Thank you so much PheonRen, CouslandSpitFire, koguma, MB18932, KnightOfHolyLight and Graymalkyn for your awesome reviews! Huge thanks to all those of you who have added this fic to their favorites and are now following it as well! :D **_

_**As usual, our disclaimer: Bioware and Bethesda own!**_

_**By the way, FF is acting strangely, the text in this editor looks way small. I'm hoping it doesn't look small once it is posted! **_

Chapter 19

As soon as the Falmer went down, Alessia paused and looked at the magical place they had arrived at. Falling under a spell of sorts, her eyes swept across the exquisite beauty before her. Glowing mushrooms lit the area, their stalks raising the plants high enough to rival the height of the White-Gold tower in the Imperial City, the center of the now-defunct Mage's Guild. Alessia stared up at the false 'sky'. She knew they were underground, yet she marveled at the dotted blue lights of glow-worms shimmering in the distance, making it look like a starry night. The massive glowing vines that hung down swayed gently to and fro and the ground was covered in a teal-colored fog that made it seem surreal.

"By the Nine," she whispered with a sharp intake of breath. Glancing at Anders, she saw him scanning the whole area, a look of sheer awe on his face. She half smiled to herself, turning back to view the landscape and her eyes narrowed. Directly across from where they were standing, she could make out a sphere emitting steam and recognized the automaton immediately. "Get ready for a fight," she hissed, nudging Anders with her elbow.

Anders jolted to attention, briefly rubbing his side where she had jabbed him and followed the direction of her eyes, finally spotting the Dwarven Sphere. He quickly unsheathed his staff, focusing on a Winter's Grasp spell.

Alessia nocked an arrow, pausing only to aim. The tight bowstring quivered slightly as she let go, her arrow racing towards the metal construct and hitting it squarely in the middle. The sphere exploded, sending metal bits and pieces across the area.

"That was easy!" Anders exclaimed, putting away his staff. Their eyes met briefly and Alessia blushed as his warm gaze swept over her. He was giving her a lopsided smile and her heart fluttered, so she frowned and concentrated on the area before them.

The sphere had been standing on the top of a few stone steps that led to a door of a small building, so she put her bow away and walked towards it, with Anders following closely behind.

"Are you sure you want to go inside?" Anders said behind her as they stopped at the golden-bronze door. "That thing we just killed seemed to be a sentinel of sorts. What if there are more of his 'friends' inside? I'm no coward, but it's a small building and we'll have trouble maneuvering in it."

Alessia's glare silenced him and all traces of his smile vanished.

"We're not here to be cautious, Anders. We're here to get the scroll," Alessia grumbled, biting back the scathing retort that rested on the tip of her tongue for fear she'd have to deal with Justice. As angry as she was with Anders, she did not want to hurt him again.

Anders's brow furrowed and Alessia saw the anger in his eyes, followed quickly by sadness. Anger, sadness…but no blue glow to herald Justice's appearance.

_Ah, of course. We're underground. _She also realized that this place was probably even more infused with lyrium than any other of the underground places they had visited so far. Everything glowed a faint blue here, the same hue as Anders did when Justice manifested himself. Frowning slightly, she tried the handle and found that the door was unlocked. She readied her daggers and pushed it open, stepping inside a small one-roomed house. On her left was a skeleton with several arrows jutting out of its frame that told her how this unfortunate soul had died. A ringing noise made her turn right and gaze upon something she had never set eyes on. She recognized the noise the potted plant before her was making…it was the chiming sound that indicated it was a nirnroot. This nirnroot, however, was totally different from the ones that grew on the surface.

This nirnroot was crimson.

…

Alessia gasped, hurrying over to the plant as she sheathed her blades. She ran her fingers along the humming leaves reverently and turned back to Anders, a wide grin on her face. "Red nirnroot!"

"So?" Anders replied, still a bit annoyed.

"SO?" she repeated excitedly, either ignoring or not acknowledging his tone. "Nirnroot is green, _not _crimson." Alessia turned back to the table and picked up a journal that sat next to the pot. She flicked through a few pages and her eyes grew wide as she gasped again. "This is Sinderion's journal!"

"I…don't know who Sinderion is," Anders said and quirked an eyebrow, his aggravated mood dissipating in light of Alessia's excitement.

"Okay, calm down Alessia," she said to herself as she tried to still the shaking hands that held the journal and took a deep breath. "Alright, so. Elves live much longer than any race of man does by at least a century for the Bosmer, and the Altmer live even longer. Sinderion was a distinguished Altmer alchemist during the Oblivion Crisis, making potions for the Hero of Kvatch out of nirnroot, and he was said to be old then. Almost 200 years ago, Anders! TWO HUNDRED! And…he was my mother's mentor for alchemy. I knew he was old, but…two hundred years! No one could ever figure out how it was that regardless of his race's lifespan, he lived SO LONG. But what I've read so far…" Her eyes fell on the journal again, her eyes scanning the pages and widening slightly. "This is it, Anders! This is the key!"

"The key to what exactly?" Anders asked, tilting his head slightly to the right, his eyes fixed on her face.

"The key to his longevity. Read for yourself!" she exclaimed as she thrust the book into his hands.

Anders found her excitement contagious as well as enticing, so he smiled as he opened the book. The first few pages told him that the author of the book was a dedicated Alchemist, who was obsessed with the properties of nirnroot. His eyes traveled down the page as he read about his initial experimentation on nirnroot.

"Not there!" Alessia said impatiently, reaching out her hand to flip through the pages. Her eyes fell on the wanted page and she pointed to it. "There!"

Anders's eyes scanned the page and widened as he read the paragraph out loud.

"_My initial research seems to indicate that the crimson nirnroot has a similar affinity for moisture as the garden variety, but also maintains some sort of symbiotic relationship with the enormous fungi that inhabits Blackreach," _he read_. "It's my guess that the fungi itself is a source of water, absorbing it from the moist subterranean air like a sponge. This provides the ideal environment for the nirnroot to grow. Unfortunately, the crimson nirnroot appears to have a vastly shortened lifespan, and they are in no way plentiful down here. Gathering thirty of them will be quite the challenge, but hopefully the denizens of Blackreach will allow me to gather my samples unhindered. What I have learned from studying the samples I have with me is extraordinary. This plant allows for an extended lifespan, as well as healing all injuries or diseases the user may have._"

Alessia nodded her head vehemently. "You see? He got a few samples while he was living in Cyrodiil. He tested it on himself! This is why he continued to live on. This plant motivated him to travel to Skyrim and later to Blackreach in search of more. You can clearly see that he didn't die from old age - he was attacked by the Falmer," Alessia added, pointing to the Falmer arrows. She sighed heavily. "Poor man. If my mother were alive today, she would be beside herself with grief."

Anders's eyes met Alessia's and he nodded, his hand automatically falling on her right cheek, caressing it lightly. "I'm sorry. He must have been a great man."

"He was a genius," Alessia said, as she took the journal from Anders's hands and continued reading. "Sinderion wanted to collect 30 samples…Well, this is interesting!"

"What is interesting?" Anders asked curiously.

"He says that the crimson nirnroot regrows! That's something the nirnroot on the surface doesn't do," she chuckled, glancing at Anders for a brief moment before returning to the book. "He knew Avrusa Sarethi? It's a small world indeed!" Alessia said a few moments later.

"Who is Avrusa Sarethi?" Anders asked.

"She's a Dunmer apothecary who lives on her farm. It's close to Riften. I've never been to the farm myself, but rumors about her can be heard in every alchemist shop. She is the only person I've ever heard of who grows nirnroot away from a water source of any kind," Alessia replied, still skimming through the pages. "I'll collect thirty samples and take them to her when I can. I'll also give her Sinderion's journal. Judging by what it says here, they were close friends and I'm sure she would love to have this."

…

They had a meal in Sinderion's home and then headed out to explore the area. Alessia realized that the whole ethereal quality of Blackreach made it even more dangerous, as it would deceive its visitors into thinking they were safe in such a beautiful place. As they passed a large pool of water, Alessia noticed floating white lights surrounding a glowing figure in the water. She immediately grabbed a handful of Anders's robes and yanked him behind a pillar.

"What are-" Anders began, but Alessia cut him off.

"There's a wispmother in that pond," she whispered, pulling out her bow. "They're extremely dangerous and hard to kill. Do you see her?" Anders carefully poked his head around the pillar, then looked back at her and nodded. "The little white lights around her are wisps. They won't hurt you directly, but if they come near you, they can drain your health and transfer it to the mother. She's vulnerable to fire." Alessia pulled an arrow from the quiver over her shoulder and knocked it, stepping out from their hiding place.

She let it fly and hit the wispmother square in the chest. It let out an inhuman scream, and the floating lights around it drifted over the water, closer to the pair on the shore. Alessia quickly launched more arrows at it as it crossed the pond, while Anders busied himself throwing fireballs. Just before the wisps came close enough to drain them of their health, the blazing white light illuminating the wispmother abruptly went out and the figure turned to ash at the edge of the water. Without the wispmother controlling them, the wisps stopped coming nearer and floated away from them.

"Well, that was much easier than it normally is!" Alessia exclaimed as she walked to the edge of the pond, gathering the glow dust and wisp wrappings from the pile of ashes before stashing them in her satchel and turning back to the path. She also collected samples of crimson nirnroots that were growing along the edge of the pond.

Alessia turned left to walk along the path that led to a large Golden Head in front of a dome-shaped structure. She pressed a blue button on top and the gates of the dome-shaped structure opened revealing a lift which she and Anders promptly took. The lift stopped and Alessia was surprised to see they were on the surface, surrounded by snow and trees.

"This leads to the surface directly!" Alessia exclaimed excitedly. "This means that we can come and go as we please, without having to go through the Glacial Ruins or Alftand again!"

"Provided we know _where_in Skyrim this lift is, yes,' Anders said with a smile, his eyes scanning their surroundings.

"We're either in Winterhold or in Windhelm. Those two holds have snow on the ground all year. I'll have to figure out exactly where this lift is is so I can come back for the rest of the crimson nirnroot," Alessia replied, heading back inside the lift. "We'll have to go back down again to find the Tower of Mzark though, so let's go get this done."

"Right," Anders agreed. "The sooner the better."

Once in Blackreach again, they made their way up the stone path, battling some Chauruses along the way. Alessia was poisoned again, so Anders handed her a Cure Poison potion as soon as the battle was over.

"Tastes really bad," Alessia murmured grimacing.

"I imagine it does. But it saves lives, so who's complaining?" Anders retorted, his face a worried mask. Alessia felt her heart summersault again and shook her head, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks. She thanked the Nine that it was relatively dark, and prayed that he hadn't noticed her blushing.

"Let's head over to that huge structure, with an orange ball above it," she hurried to say. "The Tower could be there…"

…

She was wrong.

The place looked like the main buildings that made up the vast city of Blackreach, but it was not uninhabited. It was teeming with Falmer and humans, which Alessia soon realized had been enthralled by the former Snow Elves and turned into slaves. She quickly realized that even though Anders's spells were efficient for stunning large groups and fatally wounding as well, they would never make it out of there alive, so she quickly cast Subterfuge and watched as they turned against each other, making the battle extremely easy for Anders and her to win.

Then...just as Anders was about to walk towards her with a smile on his face, an arrow came whizzing out from one of the walkways above, and pierced his chest. Anders gave a cry and sank to the stone floor. Alessia shouted at the crouching Falmer, missing her mark entirely and hitting the orange ball that was suspended above her head instead. She cursed and quickly nocked an arrow, hitting the Falmer squarely in the chest and killing it instantly. She turned back to where Anders was lying, rushing over to him.

Her heart in her throat, she soon discovered to her dismay that the arrow had been poisoned, and quickly threw her backpack to the floor beside her, pulling out a Cure Poison potion. Anders was wheezing and his pale skin alarmed her. She quickly forced his mouth open and poured the liquid in, praying to the Gods that she wasn't too late. Anders coughed and failed to swallow most of the potion, so Alessia dug out another potion and this time, forced his mouth shut and rubbed his throat, so that he swallowed it in its entirety.

The seconds dragged slowly on, and fear gripped her heart like a vise, as images of a life without him started to play in her head. "Anders," she whispered. "Don't you dare leave me, you bastard!" The tears started to stream down her cheeks and she did nothing to stop them.

Anders coughed again and started to convulse. She pressed down on his chest, her eyes wide with fear. But then, he lay still, his breathing slowly going back to normal. Alessia started to laugh, relieved that he would be all right.

At that moment, a roar was heard overhead. Her jaw dropped open when she saw a dragon circle the whole area and land somewhere outside. Grimacing, she unsheathed her bow and ran out through the entrance, nearly getting incinerated as the dragon opened its maw and unleashed its fire breath upon her. Alessia dodged the flames and quickly started to shoot arrows at the beast, which was trying to get up the steep stone steps to where she was.

Alessia grimaced and dodged the dragon's fire as she danced along the stone dais she was standing on. She cursed as the beast flapped its wings and continued to shoot arrows at it. "Why is there even a dragon in here?" she yelled angrily, rolling to the side to keep from getting burned again.

She was getting tired, but continued to dodge the fire that was flung at her in short intervals. Her shoulders were already aching and her arms were trembling...she feared she couldn't hold on much longer. At that moment, she heard a whooshing sound and the dragon was suddenly encased in a sheet of ice. Turning around quickly, she spotted Anders, one of his hands pressed to his stomach as he focused on another spell to fling at the dragon.

Alessia felt the relief wash all over her and grinned. Knowing that he was on his feet again and helping her suddenly made her exhaustion vanish and she unsheathed her weapons, speeding towards the beast, nimbly climbing onto its back as she delivered the killing blow.

She slid to the ground and ran back to Anders, who was giving her that lopsided smile she had grown so fond of.

"You scared me back there," she whispered.

Anders warm brown eyes looked deeply into hers and he pulled her close in a tight embrace.

"Now you know how I feel most of the time when we are fighting..." he whispered.

"I'm still mad at you," she mumbled, burying her face into his newly-healed chest.

Anders chuckled, rubbing a hand up and down her back. "I know."

…

After a few more wrong turns and fights with the Falmer, the pair finally found the tower. As they climbed the steps twisting upwards, Alessia grumbled, "Why are there always steps? _Never-ending steps everywhere_!"

Anders grinned. "At least there aren't seven thousand this time!"

"There might as well be," she deadpanned as the stairway opened into a large foyer with a mechanical device crowning a series of circular ramps to the top. Alessia rushed up the ramps excitedly. When she finally got to the top, she paused to marvel at the machine before them. Green glass circles hung from golden metal spires in a circular formation. The ceiling above also had the glass circles at certain intervals. In front of them was a panel of buttons with a square-shaped receptacle in the middle.

"This reminds me of the Orrery in the White-Gold tower," Alessia thought aloud. She saw Anders's confused glance and explained. "The Orrery is a large chamber with mechanical workings like these. It is supposedly a scale model of the solar system, showing how Nirn and the planets and moons around us move about the sun. Mother took me there once when I was much younger. Most people dismiss it all as theory, but it makes sense...if I'm not the one explaining it, that is." She pulled the Lexicon out of her pack and placed it in the receptacle. Upon doing so, the machine above them whirred and one of the buttons along the panel lit up blue, along with the Lexicon.

"Pretty colors," Anders commented, his eyes twinkling. "Those Dwemer were really something, weren't they?"

"Yes, they were. I wish we knew more about them," Alessia said, pressing one of the glowing buttons. The machine above them moved, one of the arms extending. She pressed the other button that was glowing a few times and it moved again, extending another arm and lighting up another button. As she pressed this button, however, the light of one of the others went out as the machine moved back to its initial position. She gave Anders an exasperated look. "I have no idea what I'm doing!"

"Wait!" Anders exclaimed excitedly. "When you clicked several times on the previous one, it lit up, right? I'm thinking that maybe if you click on the glowing buttons repeatedly until another one lights up, then move onto the newly lit one and press it until another one lights up, we'll get the response we want!"

Since the machinery had reset itself, Alessia tried out what Anders had suggested.

As she continually pressed the glowing buttons, the arms of the machine swung outward and turned. The last button finally lit up, and as she pressed it, a large portion of the machine came downwards. The arms of this part swung open, revealing the scroll.

"Good job," Anders's voice whispered into her ear, as he hugged her from behind.

Alessia snorted. "You should be patting _yourself _on the back, since you are the one who solved the puzzle!" she exclaimed, disentangling herself from his arms to go get the scroll. She took the now inscribed Lexicon from the receptacle, which was glowing blue, and walked down the steps to the Elder Scroll. She put both items in her pack and walked towards the ramp leading downwards to the set of stairs, Anders following closely behind.

"Fascinating," he commented. "My admiration for the Dwemer continues to increase. It's a shame they disappeared and are no longer around. Are we going to take the Lexicon to Septimus Signus now?"

Alessia shook her head. "No, that can wait. I think we should head up to the Throat of the World and find out what the Scroll can tell us. Which means…more steps," she commented, sounding annoyed.

"I'm looking forward to talking to Paarthurnax again. Maybe this time he'll reveal how he knows about me."

…

Two days later, they were climbing the last few steps to Paarthurnax's domain at the top of the mountain. They found the dragon perched atop the dilapidated word wall, but he flapped his great wings and flew down to meet them.

"Ah, Dovahkiin. You have the scroll…Kel. I can feel it."

Alessia nodded, pulling it out of her pack. "I do...but, what do I do with it?"

Paarthurnax turned his head, looking at the spot on the mountain where the snow swirled softly. "You must stand inside the Time Wound, Dovahkiin, and open it there."

Alessia nodded, and with a final glance at Anders, walked to the Time Wound. She opened the scroll, and was blinded by an intense white light. Her vision dimmed and suddenly, she saw herself enveloped in an orange light. In front of her stood a mage and two warriors who were attacking a few dragons and killing them. They were jubilant, for they had the weapon to defeat Alduin and were waiting for him to arrive. "We will destroy him using Dragonrend!" one of the warriors said, and Alessia could see that it was a woman.

"Alduin is too strong. I have the Scroll with me just in case," the mage said, yelling above the roar of the dragons circling the mountain.

"No! We will defeat him! I can feel it!" the woman replied, her voice rising above the din surrounding the peak.

The other warrior spoke for the first time. "Alduin approaches. Let us join our voices together to bring him down!"

The three stood still and shouted, faces turned towards the incoming dragon.

"JOOR ZAH FRUL!"

Alessia felt the words filling her very soul, and she suddenly knew it was the Dragonrend Shout.

The black dragon descended upon them, a bluish white light enveloping him, holding him down as he landed. "What magic is this? What is this Thu'um?" he roared. "I do not understand!"

"Die fiend!" the female warrior yelled, bearing her sword.

"You think you can defeat me?" Alduin shouted arrogantly, as he advanced upon the woman. He snapped his jaws and nearly swallowed her whole, shaking her body around in his maw and finally tossing her to the side. The mage cried out as the other warrior advanced upon the dragon, but Alduin roared, flames erupting from his gaping jaw and enveloping the man. The mage hurriedly opened the scroll and Alduin turned to glare malevolently at him.

"You have a Kel?" Alduin said. "Nooooo!"

The whole scene disappeared and Alessia found herself back in the present. She swayed slightly and Anders grabbed her, his arms steadying her and keeping her from falling.

"Dovahkiin!" Paarthurnax roared, a gout of flame protruding to mark the urgency, his eyes on a point in the sky. "Alduin approaches!"

…


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N from moosesaregreat: Thanks to all who followed/favorited and to Greymalkyn, Annonimous4862, ggs1995, MB18932, KnightOfHolyLight, and koguoma for the reviews! We LOVE them! We NEED them! They motivate us, so keep 'em coming and we'll keep giving you MOAR!**_

_**As always, Bethesda and Bioware own everything! :D **_

Chapter 20

The great black dragon circled the sky above them twice and Paarthurnax flapped his wings, roaring as he flew up to meet him. The fight between the two gave Alessia a few precious moments to recuperate from the immense mental strain from the Scroll and Time Wound as Anders looked at her pale face in alarm, his arms still surrounding her protectively.

"I'm fine! I have to do this, Anders!" Alessia yelled as she pushed him away and unsheathed her bow, nocking arrow after arrow to help Paarthurnax with the fight. The two dragons, one light and the other dark raked at each other as they flew above, suspended in the night sky. Even though Alduin blended into the blackened sky, the light from the twin moons and a bright green aurora was enough to see that every one of her arrows struck true. Alduin shouted something and Paarthurnax was thrown backward.

"No!" Alessia exclaimed under her breath, her heart racing in fear over Paarthurnax. Alduin turned his head and fixed his malevolent red eyes on her. Paarthurnax, in the meantime, had recovered and roared - his fire breath enveloping his brother.

Alessia dropped her bow and unsheathed her weapons. Fury coursed through her veins as she opened her mouth. "JOOR ZAH FRUL!" she shouted. The force of the shout hit Alduin squarely in the chest and the great dragon roared in pain as it flapped its wings feebly. It opened its great maw and shouted again, different words that Alessia could not understand.

Clouds rolled across from the sky and great balls of stone enveloped with fire began to fall to the ground. Alessia heard Anders curse and one of his ice spells hit Alduin just as he landed on the snowy ground in front of Alessia who ran forward, turning to the left as she flanked the dragon. Her daggers slashed at his wing and he roared again, craning his neck to reach her. Electricity enveloped Alduin and Anders shouted, but Alessia could not hear him. Her heart was hammering and her whole body was trembling with anger, not with fear. She used the Dragonrend shout again, and Alduin took a step back, roaring in pain.

"You may have picked up the weapons of my ancient foes, Dovahkiin, but you are not their equal!" Alduin roared.

Anders's Cone of Cold hit the dragon next and a sheet of ice covered him momentarily. Paarthurnax used frost on Alduin this time as well, freezing him in place. Alessia inched her way to the underbelly of the beast, deftly dodging the still falling stones plummeting to the mountain around them, her daggers reaching an area that was not encased in ice. She managed to cut through the dragon's hide, but at that moment, Alduin broke free of the ice and she had to roll away to avoid being trampled to death.

This time, she heard Anders's shout. "Damn it, woman! Get away from him!" Another electricity spell hit Alduin and Paarthurnax used his fire breath. Alessia rolled behind the dragon just as Alduin's tail was coming down. She avoided being crushed by somersaulting across the snowy ground again; emerging on the dragon's other side this time, brandishing her blades.

"Now, Dovahkiin! Strike him now! He is vulnerable!" Paarthurnax shouted as he flew over her.

Alessia lashed out at the black dragon, her blades cutting deeper as she used the Dragonrend shout to keep it from taking to the sky again. Alduin was bleeding and tried backing away, but was held in place by Alessia's shout. He roared to the heavens and his scaly neck fell onto the icy ground.

"Meyz mul, Dovahkiin. You have become strong," Alduin rumbled. "But I am Al-du-in, Firstborn of Akatosh! Mulagi zok lot! I cannot be slain here, by you or anyone else!" The power of the Dragonrend shout wore off and Alduin flapped its wings, hoisting himself to the sky with difficulty. "You cannot prevail against me. I will outlast you…mortal!"

Alduin flew off and disappeared into the night sky. "NOOOOO!" Alessia screamed helplessly, waving her daggers as the black dragon disappeared into the distance. "No…" she whispered, her blades falling from her hands in defeat, tears of anguish falling down her cheeks as she sank to her knees in the red-stained snow.

"I almost had him…it was almost over," she mumbled, clutching her arms around herself in despair as she tumbled over, her own blood mixing with that of Alduin in a puddle around her.

"See to your Dovahkiin, Anders of Thedas. She is wounded," Paarthurnax said as he landed next to them, fixing his yellow stare on Anders.

Anders knelt beside her as Alessia looked at him, her blue eyes now glassy. He quickly inspected her for broken bones first, and then went on to scan her for internal injuries, his face a mask of concern. She was bleeding internally as he had suspected, and he quickly got to work - mending her injuries as fast as he could, but she had already lost a lot of blood.

"I think Alduin… might have taken a bite," Alessia whispered, her pale face making her look like a ghost. "The coward flew off, I have…I have to get him, Anders!"

"Hush, sweetheart. You have to get well first. There is no way I'm letting you go after him right now," Anders whispered tenderly as she leaned against him, now panting and struggling to stay conscious.

"Lok krongrah. You truly have the Voice of a dovah," Paarthurnax said, as he gazed at Alessia. "Alduin's allies will think twice after this victory."

"What victory?" Anders asked Paarthurnax with a frown. "Alduin escaped."

"Ni liivreh hin moro. True, this is not the final krongrah – victory. But not even the heroes of old were able to defeat Alduin in open battle," Paarthurnax rumbled. "Alduin always was pahlok – arrogant in his power. Uznahgaar paar. He took domination as his birthright. This should shake the loyalty of the dov who serve him."

"I – I need to find out where Alduin went," Alessia panted, her vision fuzzy at the edges.

"Yes," Paarthurnax said quietly. "One of his allies could tell us. Motmahus…But it will not be so easy to…convince one of them to betray him. Perhaps the hofkahsejun – the palace in Whiterun…Dragonsreach. It was originally built to house a captive dovah. A fine place to trap one of Alduin's allies, hmm?"

"The Jarl of Whiterun might not think so," Alessia shook her head weakly, the fuzziness turning to black and encroaching on her vision.

"Hmm, yes," Paarthurnax replied. "But your su'um – breath – is strong. I do not doubt that you can convince him of the need."

"She isn't going anywhere yet. I'm taking her to High Hrothgar where she can rest," Anders said firmly.

"Yes. Krosis…it is good to see you take care of her, Anders of Thedas. Her group of tafiires – thieves, care…but not as you do. You are all that she has, yes?"

Anders was taken aback, and his eyes darted to Alessia's face, but she had fainted in his arms. He turned back to look at Paarthurnax.

"You know a lot for a dragon who sits on a mountaintop. How is it that you know about me?" Anders asked, his brow furrowed.

"I am Alduin's brother, and we are the children of Akatosh, the God of Time and leader of the Pantheon who made this world," was Paarthurnax's cryptic reply. "Now is not the time for you, Anders of Thedas, and the Dovahkiin needs to rest and recuperate to fight my brother once again. I fear she will need to be much stronger the next and final time. I will carry you both to High Hrothgar. Come."

…

When Alessia came to, she found herself lying on one of the stone beds in High Hrothgar, with Anders sitting on a chair, gazing intently at her. She struggled to sit up sleepily, a grimace of a smile on her face, but Anders pushed her down gently.

"Easy, sweetheart. You have been unconscious for nearly two days now. You shouldn't try to sit up yet," he whispered tenderly.

Alessia blinked, and remembered that Alduin had flown away. Victory had been so close, but it had escaped from her grasp. She sighed and shook her head. "I failed."

"No, you didn't. We'll go wherever he went and take care of him. You have to get better first," Anders said softly.

"You – you would travel with me? But you said…" Alessia began, confusion written all over her face as Anders smiled and shook his head.

"I'll go to Saarthal and help out there, but right after Saarthal, I'll go back to accompanying you, Alessia. I was wrong to say what I said. I don't want to leave you." Even though his words were spoken with conviction, Alessia could see that he was struggling against Justice.

"Justice won't let you," she stated, shutting her eyes momentarily.

"Justice will have to," Anders shot back and Alessia opened her eyes to look at him. His warm brown eyes gazed into hers steadily. "If Alduin succeeds, there will be no mages to help, will there?"

She felt her heart flutter as she looked up at him, the happiness slowly filling her until she practically beamed. Anders grinned back as his hand found hers and squeezed it gently. At that moment, Arngeir walked into the room carrying a tray with a hot bowl of soup.

"It is good to see you awake, Dovahkiin," he smiled. "You must eat to regain your strength." He handed Anders the tray and sat on the other stone bed across from where Alessia was.

"Alduin flew away, Arngeir," Alessia said in a sad voice.

"I know," Arngeir said quietly. "Do not feel defeated. Paarthurnax is right. You'll get the information from one of his allies and go after him when you are well."

Anders began to feed her, and she nodded as she ate, her blue eyes fixed on Arngeir. Nobody spoke until she had finished her soup. Then, Borri, who had entered the room quietly, took the tray from Anders's hands and carried it out of the room.

"The Jarl of Whiterun will be difficult to convince," Alessia muttered, but loud enough that both Anders and Arngeir heard her. "He doesn't regard me very highly."

"You are the Dragonborn," Arngeir said simply. "He will listen to you no matter what."

…

Two days later, they stood at the doors of Dragonsreach. Alessia was hesitating, so Anders spun her around and looked deeply into her eyes.

"I know you can do this, sweetheart! I have total faith in you, in fact," Anders smiled, his tender tone making her heart summersault again.

She gave him a slow smile, one that he hadn't seen in a while. "Thank you, Anders."

"I'm hoping you aren't angry at me anymore? We haven't had a chance to really talk, and galloped all the way here…"

"You're making progress," she chuckled, meeting his twinkling eyes. She turned to the door and eyed it defiantly. "Right. If I can face the World-Eater, I can do this," she said, her eyes on the door as she pushed it open.

"That's my girl," Anders murmured behind her.

They walked through the foyer and up the steps, crossing the Main Hall until they came to a stop directly in front of the throne. The Jarl had been talking to his housecarl, but stopped immediately when he saw Alessia standing in front of him.

"Dragonborn," he said politely. "What can I do for you?"

"I don't know if you know, but Alduin has returned," Alessia began, her whole body trembling for a few seconds.

The Jarl's jaw dropped as he regarded her with a surprised look on his face.

""The World-Eater himself? Are you certain of this?" the Jarl asked, the fear in his eyes speaking volumes.

"Yes. I fought him on the Throat of the World, but he escaped before I could deal the final blow and I need to find out where he has gone. This is where you come in," Alessia replied in a matter-of-fact voice, crossing her arms over her chest confidently. Anders stood behind her and smiled proudly at her words.

"Yes, of course, Dragonborn. How can I assist you?" the Jarl asked quickly.

"I know that Dragonsreach was built to capture a dragon. I need to use it to capture a dragon and make it tell me where Alduin went," she said quietly.

The Jarl chuckled. "I'm sorry, Dragonborn, for a moment there I thought you had said that you wanted to capture a dragon here…" Balgruuf's voice trailed off as soon as his icy blue eyes met hers. "Oh! You are serious!" It wasn't a question, but Alessia nodded nevertheless.

For a while, neither spoke. The tension in the vast room was overpowering. Alessia felt that the air around her was slowly disappearing and was finding it hard to breathe. She took a deep breath, her eyes never leaving the Jarl's face. He was looking down at the wooden floor at Alessia's feet, his brow furrowed.

His cold blue eyes finally met hers again. "I would like to help you, Dragonborn, even though I think you are probably crazy. With the Civil War at our very doorstep and all the fighting, I won't expose my hold to a dragon when we can also be attacked by Ulfric Stormcloak's forces. But there is another more pressing reason I cannot help now. It is even worse than the Civil War and is causing the deaths of many innocent people in my hold."

"And what is that, my Jarl?" Alessia asked.

"The vampire attacks. They are so numerous that more people are dying because of this than in the war. The news is terrifying. It seems these monsters are also attacking the rest of the holds. If you solve the vampire problem, then we can speak again of your plan to trap a dragon," Balgruuf said firmly.

Alessia nodded. "Very well, my Jarl. I will see to this problem and try to solve it."

"I hear that there are a group of vampire fighters who have set up their numbers in an old abandoned fort in The Reach. They call themselves the Dawnguard. You may want to talk to them to see what they know," Balgruuf said with a smile. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a hold to run."

Alessia bowed slightly and turned, walking out of Dragonsreach with her head held high, Anders following closely behind. As soon as they were outside, Anders pulled her close.

"I was so proud of you back there. You showed him!"

Alessia sighed. "Did you notice he didn't really agree to anything?" she said fiercely, her eyes flashing momentarily. "I'm willing to bet that even if I take care of the vampire problem, he won't give up the palace to capture the dragon. I'm sure he'll complain about the Civil War next…" she sighed again, more deeply this time. "Well. I suppose we'd better get to Winterhold."

"Winterhold? I thought the Jarl said that we had to go to the Dawnguard in The Reach? And that's far to the west…" Anders commented in a puzzled tone.

Alessia smiled. It was good to see that Anders now knew where everything was, geographically speaking. He certainly had learned a lot in the months he had been in Skyrim. "We're going to Saarthal, aren't we?" she countered, her eyes dancing merrily. "I believe you have a practical lesson there?"

…

Saarthal was interesting. It was also an ancient Nordic ruin just as Alessia had predicted. Anders spoke to Tolfdir and he agreed to let Alessia accompany Anders, as long as she didn't interfere with his 'progress' in practical magic. Alessia promised she wouldn't with a grin and they went through the excavation as Tolfdir talked endlessly about their discoveries so far and the importance of wards and safety.

They went down a few ramps and arrived at a dusty room full of various jars and empty sarcophagi, and Tolfdir asked his four apprentices to gather around as he gave them specific instructions on what to do.

"Brelyna, my dear, why don't you search for warding magics. Anything designed to keep people out. Don't interact with them, just identify them."

"I'm not seeing any signs…"

"Yes, well, run along now and let me know if you find anything," Tolfdir replied with a wave of his hand. He turned to Onmund and smiled. "Onmund, please search that area over there. See if you notice any…residual energies. Alive or undead."

Onmund nodded and disappeared into the southern part of the room. Tolfdir then turned to J'zargo with a smile. "J'zargo…what shall we have you do…Ah! Why don't you verify that we're the first ones here? Look for any amount of tampering with the tombs."

The Khajiit rolled his eyes and silently took the path to the north. Tolfdir turned to Anders, his benign smile causing Anders to smile back at him. "I know you are more experienced than the rest. Why don't you see if you can assist Arniel Gane? He's one of our scholars, working on cataloging our finds. I expect he'd appreciate some help in locating any additional magical artifacts here in the ruins. Any enchanted items will do; the usefulness of the enchantment itself is irrelevant. If you find anything, the class can look it over."

Anders nodded and he made his way to the right of the room, where a tunnel snaked its way over to where Arniel Gane stood over a table as he muttered to himself, with Alessia following closely behind. Anders cleared his throat and Arniel spun around, his eyes recognizing the mage instantly.

"Ah, yes. You. I remember you. You're going to help? That's fine. Just…Just don't make a mess of my work. I've only looked through a portion of this section. You, uh, you can look around the chambers just north of here. Try and be careful, all right? We don't want to damage anything…"

Anders nodded and stole a glance at Alessia, whose bored expression was a clear indication of just how much she wanted to be there. He chuckled and advanced around the area where he was told to go, with Alessia spotting a ring on the floor almost immediately. Anders picked it up, noticing that it was clearly enchanted and pocketed it. A few moments later, he noticed something shiny on the floor and he picked up a second ring, while Alessia found a third. Anders turned up a twisted corridor arriving to a door. On the door a bright gold amulet glinted at him. It looked odd and was pulsating with a strange light.

Alessia stood right next to Anders, her boredom now quickly vanishing as she looked at the artifact interestedly. "Ooh, Delvin would _love_ that," she murmured, turning to Anders with a smile. "He collects odd things. But I won't tell him about it, or it will mysteriously come up missing from the College."

Anders chuckled as he reached out, taking the amulet from the door. They heard a quick whir and a snap as a spear trap activated behind them, trapping them in the small space. Alessia was grinning at this point.

"It looks like this will be fun after all," she said, her eyes twinkling as they fixed themselves on his.

"What is it? What in the world happened?" Tolfdir said as he walked up to the spear door.

"Um…I took this amulet that was on the door here, and it triggered _that_," Anders gestured to the spears. "It looks like we are um…locked in, so to speak."

"How interesting! I have never seen anything like that happen before! Why don't you put on the amulet, and use a spell on the door? Maybe it will cause the door to open!" Tolfdir said excitedly.

Anders nodded, not daring to look at Alessia for fear of bursting out laughing. He quickly put the amulet on and flicked his hand at the door, a sheet of ice now covering the door briefly before it crumbled before their very eyes. At the same time, the spears behind them lowered, allowing Tolfdir to rush forward into the area.

"Well! This is highly unusual! And very interesting. Why in the world would this be sealed off? What is this place?" The elderly mage babbled, clearly beside himself with excitement. They reached a small burial room at the end of the new passageway and at that moment, everything froze around Andres and a ghostly apparition materialized in front of him.

"Hold, mage, and listen well…Know that you have set in motion a chain of events that cannot be stopped. Judgment has not been passed, as you had no way of knowing. Judgment will be passed on your actions to come, and how you deal with the dangers ahead of you. This warning is passed to you because the Psijic Order believes in you. You, mage, and you alone, have the potential to prevent disaster. Take great care, and know that the Order is watching you."

The apparition vanished and Tolfdir moved again, repeating the word 'fascinating', and Alessia turned to look at Anders with a smile. "You were…frozen…" Anders whispered to her. "Did you feel anything?"

Alessia shook her head with a frown.

"My boy, are you all right?" Tolfdir asked. "You look like you have seen a ghost."

"Did you see that…that apparition?" Anders asked the elderly mage.

"I felt something rather strange, but I thought it was me. What did you see? What happened?" Tolfdir quickly replied.

"Everything froze around me, as if time was suspended and…this apparition materialized right…there," Anders pointed to the spot. "He said I had started a chain of events that could not be stopped and that the Psijic Order believed in me and was watching me."

"The Psijic Order? That's very odd. Why, that doesn't make sense at all. The Psijics have no connection to these ruins. No one's seen any of their order in a long time."

"But why are they contacting me?" Anders asked.

"I have no idea, but it's fascinating. The Isle of Artaeum disappeared over a hundred years ago, and no one has seen them since. And yet now, suddenly, they have chosen to contact you? Why, it's intriguing! If nothing else, I'd take that as a compliment. The Psijics have only ever dealt with those they feel worthy. Maybe we can look through these coffins and see what else we can find to help us…"

At that moment, as if on cue, two draugr jumped out of each of the coffins and attacked. Anders's electricity spell soon had them both jerking around, while Alessia decapitated one and backstabbed the other, just as Tolfdir put up a ward around himself.

"There's an opening in one of the coffins that leads to another area," Alessia whispered to Anders.

"And look, this opens up to the rest of the area, like a door!" Tolfdir said excitedly stepping into the new area. "This is fascinating!"

"Are you sure we should be here? I know you want to head out to take care of the vampire problem," Anders whispered back.

"'This is fascinating!'" Alessia said in her best Tolfdir imitation. "I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

…


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N from moosesaregreat: Hey guys! Our deepest apologies for the long wait for this chapter. AC hasn't been feeling well, and my work makes me want to punch things rather than write-hence the hiatus. Thanks for sticking with us! Hugs and waffles for you all! On a high note, the next chapter is already outlined so it shouldn't take too long for us to publish. :D**_

_**Thanks to all who followed/favorited and special thanks to Graymalkyn, Annonimous4862, MB18932, kogouma, KnightOfHolyLight, Golden Naginata, CouslandSpitFire and PheonRen for your lovely reviews! They fulfill our subsistence for writing, like delicious tacos fulfill our subsistence for life. Your reviews are tacos. GIVE US TACOS!**_

_**A brief warning for plot: We are beginning to tackle the Dawnguard DLC, so OMGSPOILERS.**_

_**Bioware and Bethesda own!**_

Chapter 21

They fought the draugr throughout the ruin until they came to a chamber with a round sphere in the middle of the room that glowed blue. The pulsating orb seemed to have a life of its own, bobbing from time to time in its place and made an eerie humming noise.

"What's this? Why, I've never seen anything like this! Fascinating!" Tolfdir murmured as he went down the wooden stairs as if in a trance, his eyes fixed on the orb.

"Watch out!" Anders called out as the draugr lying on a stone slab in front of the orb suddenly came to life. Tolfdir took cover behind a pillar, and Alessia quickly nocked an arrow as Anders flung a cold spell on the powerful lich. The arrows bounced off the draugr and Anders's spell dissipated into thin air. The draugr lifted its head, fixing its glowing blue gaze on the pair and then it laughed.

The laugh sent chills up and down Alessia's spine and elicited a frown from Anders. "Take cover, quick!" he exclaimed, pushing Alessia behind a wooden wall. Anders did the same and his glance fell on an old stone carving of some kind.

"Look there!" Alessia whispered as the draugr floated up towards the stairs while Tolfdir shot a spell at the thing to distract it. As before, the spell disappeared before reaching the draugr and Anders's eyes followed Alessia's pointing finger to the orb that glowed every time they tried to hit the monster.

"The orb!" Anders and Tolfdir almost cried out at the same time. "It's making this thing invulnerable," Anders added, his brow furrowing.

"I'll hit the orb with some spells," Tolfdir yelled at them from below. "You two get ready to attack when I say so!"

Alessia saw the spell hit the orb and the draugr screeched. She ran to the stone structure Anders had been hiding behind and nocked an arrow.

"Now! Attack it!" Tolfdir yelled, and they both stepped forward and away from the pillar, hitting the thing over and over again as they advanced down the wooden stairs. Anders caught a glimpse of a wooden staff adorned with carvings and a blue gem at the tip lying on the stone slab where the draugr had been before it rose, and turned to look at Alessia. "Cover me!" he mouthed and he sprinted up to the slab, just as the draugr opened its mouth to shout. Alessia, however, knew what the thing was about to do and quickly let her arrow fly. Its screech ended abruptly as the flame-engulfed arrow hit it in the throat, but it still did not fall. Anders reached the staff and equipped it, letting it fire at the lich, which shrieked and turned its attention to Anders.

Alessia, meanwhile, had run down the stone steps, brandishing her daggers. She performed a backstab and watched as the draugr turned to eye her malevolently. She opened her mouth and shouted.

"Fus – Ro – Dah!" The draugr was flung through the air and against the wall, and Anders's Winter's Grasp spell covered it in a sheet of ice.

"Fire, Anders! Use fire!" she yelled at him as she somersaulted out of the way.

Flames quickly enveloped the screeching draugr and Alessia was finally able to cut it down. It screamed one last guttural cry as it hit the floor.

Alessia stared at its lifeless form, still in the offensive position she had been before.

"We did it!" Tolfdir exclaimed, walking towards the orb that was now spinning gently. Alessia sheathed her weapons, and she approached the stone slab cautiously. "There is an edict here," she murmured. "This lich was Jyrik Gauldurson."

"Are you absolutely sure of that?" Tolfdir asked as he also approached the stone slab. "This is remarkable!" he exclaimed a few moments later as he glanced at the edict. "Jyrik Gauldurson is the eldest of three brothers! According to ancient history, Arch-Mage Geirmund led a company of battlemages to destroy the three brothers. The three brothers wreaked havoc, and it was all because of an amulet their father had. They wanted it for themselves."

"He was sealed inside Saarthal," Alessia said in a low voice. "This is why he woke – he was protecting the orb…"

"And the orb was protecting him," Anders added.

"Why don't you go on ahead and tell the Arch-Mage about this?" Tolfdir said to Anders. "I'll stay here and study it a little longer."

…

As they made their way to the excavation site, Alessia spotted a Word Wall. She immediately went up to it, absorbing the first word of the Ice Form shout. She also looted a chest with some gold and artifacts in it.

When they reached the College, they immediately sought out the Arch-Mage, who was standing in the library, talking to the orc librarian. Anders smiled as he talked, but the Arch-Mage didn't seem very impressed or excited about the news. He did give Anders a Magelight staff to add to his now growing collection.

"Urag gro-Shub may be able to help you out," the Arch-mage said as he walked off to his quarters.

The librarian sighed deeply as Anders fixed an amused gaze on him. "Please don't tell me that another one of the apprentices has been incinerated. I have enough to deal with right now."

"We found something in Saarthal," Anders replied with a smile. "Tolfdir thinks it's important. It's some kind of a glowing orb."

"So you said," Urag replied, nodding. "I've read about this 'orb' before. I think the information you want is in one of three tomes, I can't remember which one though…"

"Well, if you give us the books, we'll look for it ourselves," Anders grinned.

"Well, that's exactly it. Unless you can fly, I doubt you'll be reading them today," Urag shot back in his usual sarcastic manner. "Those books are long gone. I lent them to Orthorn, who is no longer in the College."

"Where can we find them, then?" Anders hurried to ask.

"I heard Orthorn joined a group of renegade mages in Fellglow Keep. My guess is that the books are there. I'll mark the location on your map."

Anders thanked the Orc, turning to Alessia. "Time to tend to your business. If we come across Fellglow Keep along the way, then we can look for the books."

"Have you heard of the Dawnguard?" Alessia asked Urag, who seemed to know just about everything.

"Aye. Their headquarters is an old fort in The Rift, east of Riften. One of my brothers has joined and he stopped by to tell me all about it on the way," Urag replied.

"It's in The Rift?" Alessia replied as her eyebrows shot upwards. "We were told it was in The Reach!"

"Well, whoever told you that is either very stupid, misinformed, or doesn't like you very much," Urag responded, dipping his quill into an inkpot on the desk and rolling his eyes. "Give me the map back and I'll mark the _right_ place to go. My brother is part of the order. The Fort they are at is also called Dawnguard and they are looking for recruits. Something about vampires attacking people the cities. Nasty business, if you ask me..."

…

They arrived at the canyon which led to Fort Dawnguard two days later, exhausted from the journey as Alessia had insisted on stopping only to eat. Anders had suggested getting some sleep the night before, and was silenced by the look she gave him. He knew her well enough to know that she had only one thing on her mind, and _that_ was getting rid of the vampires. He also knew she was _extremely_ angry at the Jarl of Whiterun for giving them the wrong directions to the fort, and felt relieved he wasn't the one who was making her angry this time.

"Are you here to join the Dawnguard as well?" a blond Nord called out in a carefree voice as they left their horses in the stables next to a small group of other Nords who were sitting around a campfire.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Alessia replied, her icy-blue eyes meeting the Nord's. "Why?"

The pale-faced man gave her a shaky smile. "Well, I'm kind of anxious, and…safety in numbers, right?"

Anders watched the man's eyes widen as Alessia's brow furrowed and her eyes became even colder.

"Oh, I – I merely wanted to ask you if I could walk with you. My name is Agmaer and I'm too nervous to meet Isran alone. I hear he has a terrible temper…"

Alessia snorted at this, her eyes amused for a split second. Then the fire in her eyes returned, and they narrowed slightly, making the young man wonder if this woman had a worse temper than Isran. "You're afraid of Isran? Aren't you a _Nord_? And aren't _Nords_ supposed to possess _unlimited braveness_?" she said in a sarcastic tone. The Nord who had spoken to her was taken aback and she sighed, shaking her head. After a few moments, the fire was gone, and she nodded to him. "My name is Alessia," she deadpanned. "You can come with us, but keep up and keep quiet."

"It's not his fault that the Jarl lied to us, you know," Anders whispered to her, his brown eyes warm.

"I know," Alessia said in between clenched teeth. Shaking her head again, she forced herself to smile apologetically at Agmaer. The Nord blinked back and gave her a half-smile, then glanced at Anders who gave him an encouraging nod and smile. Agmaer smiled back and Alessia turned to continue their walk up to the Fort.

"She hasn't had much sleep," Anders whispered to Agmaer. "She's usually more agreeable when she does…"

"I heard that!" Alessia practically snarled at them both without turning as she made her way up the winding path, causing Agmaer to trip.

Anders bit his lip as he felt the uncontrollable desire to laugh. Agmaer glanced at him nervously and the mage shook his head, his eyes serious as he fell into step beside the Nord.

"Wait till you see her when something or someone attacks her. Then she gets _really_ dangerous…"

…

Upon entering the fort, the trio was greeted with a pair of men in the middle of a discussion. After listening for some time, Alessia realized that the large Redguard was Isran and he was arguing with a man who was a Vigilant of Stendarr. Isran eventually noticed them in the doorway, and asked who they were. He immediately accepted Alessia as a member of the Dawnguard, gifting her with a crossbow and a full set of armor which she accepted graciously but shoved into her pack to be sold later. Isran asked her to travel to Dimhollow Crypt, where they had gotten reports of vampire activity. The Vigilant decided to meet them there regardless of both Isran and Alessia's disagreement with it, and left the fort as Alessia and Anders explored the hallways leading from the room.

When they turned to leave however, Isran was talking to Agmaer about why he wanted to join. The young man was nothing more than a farmer, wanting to protect his family. Alessia watched as Isran attempted to show Agmaer how to use the crossbow that the Dawnguard favored, and cringed at how horribly he was doing.

"Exhale as you release the bolt, Agmaer," Alessia said, stepping from the shadowed doorway. "It will keep your shot steady."

"I was trying to teach him the basics," Isran grumbled, annoyed at the interruption.

"Yes, and it won't work if he doesn't know the fundamentals of it. BASIC fundamentals," Alessia replied coolly, then turned back to Agmaer. "Try it again."

The young man nodded, and did as she asked, the bolt hitting high. "Release it mid-breath, not at the beginning. Again," she commanded him. Once more, he did as she said and this time hit the target. He turned to her with a wide grin, and Alessia clapped him on the shoulder. "See? It's not as hard as Isran here seems to make it. Keep practicing and maybe I'll give you some more pointers when I return."

Anders grinned at Alessia's words, until he glanced at Isran, whose face looked murderous.

"Um...we'd better get to it, then," he half-whispered, his eyes flicking over to Isran nervously.

Alessia smiled and shrugged as she pushed open the door. "It's not like he could hit me with an arrow from here."

…

Dimhollow Crypt was situated south of Dawnstar, which was far to the north. Alessia kept her eyes on the road ahead and while she didn't force her horse to a gallop, she was still quiet, as if focusing on the task ahead.

"This place we're going to...does it have vampires?" Anders asked her, trying to keep the eyes on the road, so that he seemed casual about it. In truth, he was worried about Alessia. The Taint in him would protect him from becoming a vampire, but Alessia could be bitten and fall to the disease.

Alessia nodded. "Isran said he'd had reports of them there," she said, sensing the slight distress in Anders's voice and glanced over at him. "I have plenty of cure disease potions, and we both can deal out fire damage. We'll be okay."

"That's good to know," Anders said, giving her the lopsided grin she loved so much. Alessia shook her head and spurred her horse to a gallop. Anders did the same, wondering when she would finally forgive him completely. He wished for nothing else but to whisk her away somewhere, away from the danger and into his arms.

The sky began to darken and they searched for a suitable spot to camp for the night. It was still chilly this far north, but with summer upon them, it was much milder than it was normally.

Alessia spotted a formation of rocks where they could set up the tent, and led her horse from the road. Dismounting from her horse, she turned to Anders. "If you would set up the tent, I'll go find us some firewood and something to eat."

"Not a problem," Anders responded with a smile.

By the time Alessia returned with an armful of firewood and a rabbit dangling from her belt, the tent was up and Anders was brushing down the horses. She tossed the wood to the ground and sat down beside the pile to skin the rabbit. Anders watched her work as he lit the wood with a flick of his hand. Stepping closer, he sat right next to her.

"You need any help, sweetheart?" he asked in a soft voice.

Alessia glanced at him briefly, raising an eyebrow, before going back to her work. "No."

"Look, I know you are still angry at me, and it's fine. I would be too, but...don't you think it's been long enough?"

Alessia ground her teeth and tossed the rabbit skin to the ground before shoving a stick through the carcass with more force than necessary. "I wish you'd just let it be, Anders," she replied, putting the rabbit into the spit over the fire.

"We could be attacked by anything and die, wouldn't you like to make up before that?" he asked, moving closer to her. "I know what I did was wrong..."

"Wrong doesn't even begin to describe it, Anders! You were more than willing to help a few people for a reason that doesn't even matter here, when everyone's life is at stake! The lives of the people of Skyrim are in my hands, and I can't do it alone...but you were more than willing to walk away," she snarled as she stood. "I know that this isn't Thedas, but by now you should know that it isn't as well."

Alessia stared at the fire for a moment, then closed her eyes and shook her head. "I need to wash up," she mumbled, then stalked away from the campsite.

Anders sprang to life and followed her. Alessia had blended in with the half-evening shadows and he frowned, peering through the gloomy area. He cocked his head and heard the bubbling creek and made a beeline for it. Alessia was squatting at the edge, washing her hands. Her armor had been flung to the ground and she was clad in her tunic and leggings.

She heard him approach and straightened, still looking at the creek before her but Anders could tell she was still rigid with anger. Shaking his head, he grabbed her arm and spun her around, holding her tightly.

"I care for you, dammit! I don't want to leave you, alright?" he half-snarled as his lips descended hungrily on hers. He felt her stiffen for a few seconds then melt right into the kiss, a soft moan escaping her. He pulled her against him even tighter, and his hands were suddenly alive with electric sparks that made her shudder with pleasure.

"Damn you!" Alessia said in between kisses. A part of her wished she wasn't kissing him, knowing that what they shared was doomed to be brief, and the other part was thrilled to hear him say he cared about her. She arched against him, grinding into his arousal and Anders let out a whisper of a growl.

"I know," he shot back, his lips now on her neck. "I _am_ damned. But I'd rather be damned with you right here with me, than anywhere else..."

…

It was eerily quiet at the entrance to Dimhollow Crypt and Alessia's superior elven sight scanned the whole area before her as she crouched, Anders doing the same as well. The whole place was extremely dark and Anders cursed under his breath_. _

"Stay close to me," Alessia whispered.

"I can hardly see," Anders whispered back, the annoyance in his voice evident, causing Alessia to smile briefly.

"Stay _very_ close to me, then. We'll go very slowly," she retorted. "Hold onto my shoulder."

"Oh, I most certainly will," muttered Anders.

Their process was slow, but along the way there were also lit braziers, the flames allowing them to make sure they were on the right path before the darkness engulfed them yet again.

In spite of their slow progress, they soon arrived to a point where the path sloped down, opening into a large cavern with a babbling brook running across its length. A couple of vampires were talking about a kill they had made. They had managed to kill Vigilant Tolan, and sounded extremely proud of it. Alessia's keen eyesight quickly picked them out in the darkness. She quietly motioned to Anders to stay back and readied her bow and arrows, first dispatching one vampire and then the other in quick succession. A death hound growled in her general direction and she smiled to herself as she nocked another arrow. The hound fell to the ground dead and she put her bow away and crept down the slope after making sure the area was empty.

There was a closed gate not far ahead, and she made her way up the stone structure, Anders following close behind. His hand was no longer on her shoulder, but firmly grasping his staff, as there were a few lit braziers making it easier for him to see. Alessia turned to the right, and ignored the closed gate, looking for the lever that would open the gate they had just passed.

When they reached the top, she spotted a pull chain and smiled, knowing that it would open the closed gates below. Once she had pulled it, and heard the familiar noise of the gates opening, she crept back down, with Anders close behind.

Alessia paused and shook her head at the Vigilant's body next to where the gate had been, then continued. The room right after the open gates held a vampire that was accompanied by several skeletons. Alessia's arrow tore into the vampire's chest and Anders quickly sent out a fire spell that finished it and the skeletons off. There were glowing mushrooms all along the area and flanking the path beyond that made it easier for Anders to see despite Alessia plucking a few from the walls and stashing them in her satchel.

"That path leads to another room," he whispered. "I'm readying an electricity spell, all right?"

Alessia nodded, and silently crept forward. There was a vampire fighting some draugrs there and they waited. The vampire seemed to be winning the fight but two more draugrs joined the fray, and one of them was a deathlord. It knocked the vampire off its feet with a shout and laughed as it cut off the vampire's head. Alessia turned to glance at Anders and he nodded back at her, gesturing that he was ready. She nocked her arrows quickly, dispatching the draugrs nearest to them first while Anders fired an electricity spell that had the deathlord jerking around for a bit. Alessia drew her blades and quickly slashed it down before it could recover.

There was an arcane enchanter in the room, which Alessia ignored as she moved silently down the path to the next area - a large chamber with four locked gates. The stone floor was littered with the corpses of many frostbite spiders and two vampires stood over the remains, one of them looking worse for wear. Alessia first focused on the weaker vampire as Anders froze the other one to give them time, while focusing on a powerful fire spell.

"Get away from the area!" he hissed as he flung an Inferno spell at the frozen vampire. Alessia dove out of the way and the whole chamber shook as the fire exploded, killing everything in the area instantly.

"Nice one!" Alessia commented as she looked at each of the four gates before them. They went through each one, and Alessia looted the empty coffins and chests before they finally opened the last of the closed doors, which was to the left of the chamber, behind what looked like a dilapidated altar.

"I'm guessing this leads to the next area," Anders whispered.

"Fun times ahead then," Alessia muttered. "Be ready…"

…

They arrived to what looked like a stone balcony overlooking a vast circular area. Large stone gargoyles stood guarding the entrance and dotted the pathway leading below. Alessia could hear talking and she paused, creeping closer to the stone bannister in front of her. They both quickly realized that it was a vampire who was talking to a Vigilant. As they listened, they discovered that the vampire called himself Lokil. When the Vigilant gasped, Alessia realized that the vampire had killed him. She quickly and silently unsheathed her bow and nocked an arrow. Even though they were some distance away, she could see three forms on the circular stone dais below. From this distance she knew that if she succeeded, the arrow would prove fatal to whatever living or undead thing it embedded itself in.

The first arrow found its mark and Alessia saw the figure slump down to the ground. The second one did the same as well as the third. Smiling, she waited, ready to kill anything else that moved.

The minutes ticked by and after a while, she sheathed her bow and stood up. Surveying the scene, she could tell that all was quiet, but she crouched again as she descended the steps slowly and carefully. Upon reaching the dais, her eyes spotted three corpses on the ground along with a fourth one that was a short distance away. She straightened herself up to take in the view before her.

There were stone structures all around the center of the dais that looked like smaller braziers, all at irregular intervals around the dais but each sitting on an engraved line that led to the center, the flames glowing pink. There was a small stone structure in the center of the dais with a button on the top. Alessia approached it slowly, her eyes fixed on the button. Anders followed close behind, a feeling of uneasiness gradually seeping through his body. Before he could warn her, she pressed the button and a spike emerged, stabbing Alessia in the hand as a purple light came out of the ground and surrounded them. The light ran in a circle around them but an offshoot led to one of the braziers, and its flame now glowed with the same purple light.

Alessia sighed. "Oh, good! Another puzzle."

...


	22. Chapter 22

_**Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed: koguma, Golden Naginata, KnightOfHolyLight, Graymalkyn, and MB18932! We value your input so much! Many thanks to all who have put this fic in their favorites and are now following the story as well! :D You all rock! **_

_**Things are going to get a bit um…convoluted… as from this chapter. Prepare yourselves for a rollercoaster ride! :D **_

_**As usual, our disclaimer: Bethesda and Bioware own everything! **_

Chapter 22

Alessia looked at the rest of the smaller braziers, brow furrowed in concentration. After a few minutes, she turned to Anders, her eyes twinkling.

"This one is easier than other ones we've done," she grinned, pointing to the engraved lines leading to the stone structure. "I mean, it's really quite obvious!" she nodded to the brazier that was now giving off purple flames.

Anders's uneasiness grew as he saw her excitement. "Maybe we should leave this alone, Alessia," he half whispered to her.

"What's the matter, Anders?" Alessia replied walking to one of the braziers. "You heard Isran…we have to find out what the vampires were doing here…" Her voice trailed off as she put her weight to the brazier and pushed it until it was under the purple light. The flames turned purple and she smiled to herself. "We'll have to push all these braziers to a point where the purple beam touches them, see?"

Anders frowned now, and grabbed her arm, spinning her around. "I'm not joking, sweetheart. There's something very wrong here, can't you feel it?"

"I just want the vampire problem to be solved. Then we can focus on the more important problem, which is finding Alduin," Alessia replied, looking deeply into Anders's eyes. "Don't you think that's important, too?"

Anders faltered. "I do. It's just that…"

"Come on, Anders! What's the worst thing that could happen? I mean, we've already killed all the vampires that were here," Alessia sang out, smiling again. "Aren't you a little curious?"

"No."

"Party pooper," she countered, slipping away from his warm embrace. "I'll have to push all these myself then…"

Anders shook his head. "I'll help, of course."

She beamed at him, and nodded excitedly. "You work on that side, I'll work on this side."

After a few moments of pushing the braziers, Alessia looked down at the one she was standing in front of and grinned. "Last one!" she called out to Anders bending down to push it.

As soon as it clicked into place and the flames turned purple, there was a rumbling noise and the stone floor shook. The purple beam grew in intensity and the circle surrounding the small stone structure descended, revealing a stone monolith under the button. Alessia looked at the smooth stone, unsure of how to make it open. Walking around the monolith, she found the structure was seamless and had no buttons to push.

She clenched her fists in frustration, hissing in annoyance at the sharp pain from the wound on her hand from the spike that came out of the button. Her eyes widened briefly in realization of what the key to opening the monolith was and she glanced briefly at Anders. _Even if we are far below the surface, I can't chance Justice showing up right now._

She whipped her head to the side, staring intently at the darkness beyond the dais. "Did you hear that?" she whispered, and when Anders turned his head to follow where she was looking, she touched her bloody palm to the monolith. Another rumble was heard and it opened before them.

Alessia's eyes widened. Inside the monolith was a beautiful woman, who staggered and fell to her knees.

The woman gasped and stood up unsteadily, her glowing crimson eyes focusing on Anders and then on Alessia. She was carrying what looked like a heavy scroll on her back and blinked as she looked around, a dazed look in her eyes.

Anders's eyes narrowed as his uneasiness reached a peak. He turned a worried gaze to Alessia, but she seemed enthralled by the vision before her.

"Well! I didn't expect someone to pop out quite frankly!" Alessia said, smiling at the stranger.

"Unh…where is…who sent you here?" the woman asked.

"A man named Isran," Alessia replied truthfully.

"I…don't know who that is. Is he…like me?" the dark haired woman asked hopefully.

Alessia's eyes widened. "Wait, are you a…"

The woman cut her off. "Vampire? Yes."

…

Alessia adopted a nonchalant stance, but her hands were left conveniently close to the pommels of her blades. She stole a glance at a very tense Anders and raised an eyebrow at him, trying to convey the need to relax for the time being. To a complete stranger, he seemed to comply but Alessia knew that behind his now calm demeanor, he had a spell at the ready.

"The Dawnguard would want me to kill you," Alessia said, shifting so one hand rested on a dagger.

The woman snickered. "Not fond of vampires, are they?" She eyed the pair in front of her, then shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, look. Kill me and you've killed one vampire. But if people are after me, there's something bigger going on. I can help you find out what that is."

Alessia thought for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of helping this vampire. She sighed. "Where do you need to go?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, my lady," Anders said to the woman, grabbing Alessia's arm. "But I need to speak with my cohort for a moment." He led her across the dais, then turned to her quickly. "Are you _crazy_?" he whispered fervently. "This is a trap!"

Alessia nodded. "I know it could be, Anders. But what if it's not? She_ is_ standing here talking to us rather than attacking, and I doubt she would be imprisoned from the other vampires if she didn't know something that could be a threat to them."

"And the vampires were here to release her! What if she's the 'Queen of all Vampires' and releasing her just made them stronger?"

"That could be, and we die. Then everyone dies, whether by vampires or dragons. Or maybe we help her, defeat the vampires and defeat Alduin…why do I have to make these kinds of decisions? My choice could be the wrong choice for everyone," she sighed, shaking her head sadly.

Anders remembered a conversation that he had had with Hawke years ago when she had said almost the exact same thing, drowning herself in ale at the Hanged Man, worried about everyone but herself just as Alessia was doing now. Both women he cared about, and this one he knew rather than hoped cared about him as well. His emotions torn, he grazed his knuckles over her downturned cheek down to her jaw and pushed it up gently so her eyes looked into his. "I trust you, Alessia. If you think this is what we should do…I don't like it, but l trust you."

…

The pair made their way back over to the vampire. "Where do you need to go?" Alessia asked again, confident knowing that Anders supported her.

The woman smiled sadly. "My family used to live on an island to the west of Solitude. I would guess they still do. By the way, my name is Serana. Good to meet you."

Alessia grinned. "Pleased to meet you, Serana. I am Alessia and this is Anders. Tell me about your home."

Serana eyed them warily. "It's actually northwest of Solitude. Hopefully we can find a boat to take us there. It's my family home. Not the most welcoming place, but depending on who's around, I'll be safe there."

Alessia's brow furrowed. "Why wouldn't you be safe there?"

The vampire sighed. "Let's just say that my mother and father had a bit of a falling out. Don't worry, I'm not in any danger or anything like that. It'll just be more unpleasant to run into my father."

"How long were you in there?" Anders thought aloud, gesturing to the monolith.

Serana laughed. "Good question! Hard to say. I…I can't really tell. I feel like it was a long time. Who is Skyrim's High King?"

Alessia grinned before answering. "That's…actually a matter of debate right now."

The vampire snorted. "Oh, wonderful! A war of succession. Good to know the world didn't get boring while I was gone," she replied sarcastically. "Who are the contenders?"

Both Anders and Alessia shook their heads in mirth. "Depends on who you talk to," Alessia replied. "Skyrim is in a state of rebellion against the Empire. Some support Jarl Elisif and the Empire, some support the rebellion and Ulfric Stormcloak. I'm undecided," she grinned.

Serana stared at her for a moment, her delicate eyebrows drawing down in confusion. "Empire? What…what Empire?"

"THE Empire…the Summerset Isles, Valenwood, Elsweyr, Hammerfell, Cyrodiil – which is the seat of the Empire - and up until the rebellion, Skyrim. Basically, all of Tamriel united…well, all but Morrowind and the Black Marsh. They're the furthest from the Summerset Isles and the Aldmeri Dominion. Too busy fighting each other too, with the… " Alessia trailed off, taken over by the avid historian in her and quieted because of the lost look on the vampire's face.

"Wait…Cyrodiil is the seat of an Empire? I must have been gone longer than I thought. Definitely longer than we planned," Serana mumbled. "Please, let's hurry. I need to get home so I can figure out what's happened."

Anders's eyes narrowed. "Why were you locked away?"

"I'd rather not share that with you if that's alright," Serana replied, her eyes narrowing distrustfully in return. They glared at each other for a moment and eventually, Serana sighed. "I'm sorry, it's not that…I just don't know who I can trust yet. Let's get to my home and I'll have a better sense of where we all stand."

Alessia nodded as they turned to leave, but eyed the scroll on Serana's back quizzically. "Is that an Elder Scroll?"

"Yes, it is, and it's mine," she replied haughtily.

"Why do you have an Elder Scroll?" Anders asked, knowing the power of one now after helplessly watching Alessia entranced by one at the Throat of the World to learn the Dragonrend shout.

"It's…complicated. I can't really talk about it. I'm sorry."

Alessia and Anders met each other's wary gazes before Alessia spoke. "Any idea how to get out of here?"

Serana shrugged, her dark brown hair bouncing on her red and black armored shoulders. "Your guess is as good as mine. This place looks pretty different from when I was locked away."

Alessia headed towards the opposite side of the dais from where she and Anders had entered and once they exited the bright purple light of the circle, found that there were stairs leading upwards. Stone gargoyles dotted the balcony. As they approached, another rumble rattled the ground and the skin of the gargoyles shattered, sloughing off from their limbs as they stood.

…

Anders's eyes widened when the stone figures seemed to burst from their stone shells and came to life. He had never seen a gargoyle, but he heard about them used as decorations in Tevinter. The ugly brute flung itself on Alessia, raking her with its claws, and he felt her stumble in front of him as he realized with horror that the beast was draining her life force away.

Serana had already attacked two of the gargoyles with electricity and Anders pulled Alessia back to fling a Tempest spell on the three creatures. Alessia fell into his embrace and he pushed her behind him as he focused on the spell. The third brute gave a hideous scream as it flapped its wings and made a beeline for Anders, but it was too late. The fury of Anders spell caught the three monsters and they twitched and jerked around in agony, falling to crumbled pieces of stone a few minutes later.

Anders knelt on the ground, cradling Alessia in his arms, his right hand immediately glowing blue as he healed her and cast a rejuvenating spell on her for good measure. A few moments later, she opened her eyes and when she smiled at him, the happiness in his heart filled him as nothing had before.

Serana stepped closer. "We have to go. Who knows what other creatures lurk here?"

Anders looked up at her, his eyes narrowing briefly. "We won't go anywhere until I can verify she is well enough to walk," he nearly growled. Serana frowned back at him, her crimson eyes fixed on his. After a while, she sighed.

"I'll just take a look further up ahead, then," she said in a low voice.

"No," Alessia croaked, struggling to stand. Anders shook his head, but she smiled at him radiantly. "I'm fine, Anders. Really. Serana is right. We mustn't tarry here."

As she stood up, he moved closer to her, ready to catch her if necessary. Alessia swayed a little but then stood up straight, her eyes scanning into the darkness ahead.

"There is some kind of structure…oh! I can see some sarcophagi from here…get ready for a draugr fight!"

…

They fought the draugrs guarding an iron door that led to a vast chamber. There were stone seats all around and draugr sitting on them, the seats reminding her of an arena of some sort. Alessia realized they would have to cross this to get to the other side. As she looked around, her eyes caught sight of a word wall far to the right. She moved quietly, but as soon as she stepped closer to one of the stone thrones, the draugr came to life. A dragon priest screeched as it rose from a throne on the other side. She grit her teeth and decapitated the draugr who was nearest to her. Serana had already started to fling lightning spells at the rest of the draugrs while Anders focused on another Tempest spell that instantly killed the weaker draugr.

As soon as the spell wore off, Alessia made a beeline for the Dragon Priest that had flung an electricity spell of his own on Serana. Alessia's blades quickly slashed at the foul lich, who screeched in pain and turned to Alessia instead.

Anders flung a Cone of Cold on the priest and the other two draugr who were charging towards Alessia and turned to Serana, casting a Rejuvenating spell on her. Serana stood and quickly turned to fight the other six draugrs that were coming down from the other side.

Alessia had already fatally wounded the dragon priest, and she nimbly jumped behind the monster, performing a deadly backstab and quickly disposing of the other two draugrs encased in ice. She then switched to her bow, unsheathing it quickly and fired a few shots on the jerking draugrs.

In a short while, all the draugrs lay dead at their feet, and Alessia's eyes fixed themselves on the word wall, as the familiar chanting reached her ears. She walked to it in a trance-like state, the word burning into her very soul.

"Gaan," she whispered the first word of the Drain Vitality shout. Anders heard her but Serana, who was standing further back, did not.

"Sweetheart?" he murmured, his hand on her arm.

"I'm fine," she smiled, looking up at him before wandering around the room looting the bodies of gold and gems, and yanking her arrows from the still corpses.

He smiled back and followed her up the steps to an iron gate. Alessia pulled a chain and they went up a tunnel that led outside. Anders looked up at the twinkling starts, but he could only see Alessia's face as she smiled at him when they were at the word wall.

"Shit," he muttered, shaking his head as he realized how much she meant to him.

…

The trip north was made quickly and quietly. Serana rode with Alessia, even during the day. She had flung her hood up and when questioned about her being able to withstand the sunlight, replied sharply that it hurt and refused to say more.

The sun set as they neared the city of Solitude, and rode to the west of the city. When they hit the edge of the Sea of Ghosts, the twilight was lit up by the dual moons and aurora, allowing them to see. They walked along the coast near Solitude, following Serana's instructions.

"There's Volkihar Castle in the distance," Serana called out as she pointed out to a structure that loomed over the water and cast a dark shadow on one of the moons. "There used to be a boat that would take anyone there….I wonder if it's still around?"

After a short walk and Alessia snickering at the mudcrabs that tried to attack them futilely, they found a dock jutting out from the coastline with a small wooden boat moored to the side. They embarked, Anders and Alessia sitting side by side, each manning one of the oars. As they skimmed along towards the island, Anders heard growling and barking in the distance. "What is that?" he asked, squinting to see towards the tiny islands that dotted the coast.

"Horkers," Alessia replied, not even bothering to look as she moved the oar seamlessly in the water. "Big flabby beasts with tusks. Mean, but lazy. If you stray too close, they'll attack. I once had a group of them chase after me on my horse, then I saw a snowbear so I galloped around a hill to try to get them all off me. When I got to the top, I watched the whole group of horkers attack the bear. One by one, that bear took them down, tusks and all. I've never underestimated a bear since."

The boat stopped suddenly as it hit the edge of the island. The group climbed out of the boat and looked up at the castle. The moons stood behind it, lighting its peaks and the field of gargoyles that lined the walkway to it in an impending glow. Serana turned to Alessia. "Only you may follow me in. I'm sure you will be rewarded."

Anders erupted in argument, his eyes flashing blue. "This could be a trap! I will not allow you to…"

Serana cut him off angrily. "Inside is a coven of hungry vampires, mage. There could be a few, there could be many," she shouted, jabbing a finger at him as she stalked towards him. "Regardless of number, I know that Alessia will be permitted to leave unharmed in thanks for recovering me. To them,_ you_ will be seen as one more mortal who knows where we dwell. I can't be sure you will leave alive…or still mortal."

Anders ground his teeth, trying to push Justice away. "I won't let her be…"

The vampire interrupted again, this time, her voice soft. "Alessia will be safe. I promise you this. I cannot promise the same for you."

Alessia pulled the hand that Anders had raised to his face down and looked at him pleadingly. "If she wanted to hurt me, she already would have rather than fighting by our side once she was released. I trust her in this."

Justice pulled back and Anders swallowed hard, pushing the need to defend Alessia aside. "Alright," he mumbled. "I still don't like this, though."

Alessia smiled and squeezed his hand. "I don't either, sweetheart. I will return soon." She turned and made her way up the rough stone walkway, following Serana who was already halfway to the castle.

Anders watched Alessia's retreating form sadly. "You'd better."

…

Serana stopped short of the gates and turned to Alessia, her face paler than normal. "Okay, so…before we go in there…"

Alessia quirked an eyebrow. "Are you alright?"

"I think so. And thanks for asking. I wanted to thank you for getting me this far. I know your friend doesn't trust me, and I'd be dead if not for you. After we get in there, I'm…going to go on my own way for a while, I think. Your friends would probably want to kill everything in here, but I'm hoping you can show some more control than that. Once we're inside, just keep quiet for a bit. Let me take the lead."

Alessia smiled encouragingly. "I doubt I would stand long against an unknown number of vampires, Serana. I trust you to get me out of here. And besides, quiet is what I do best!"

The pair turned as a ragged man standing behind the closed gates called out, "Lady Serana is back! Open the gate!" The wooden gate rose, and the pair passed, pushing the heavy double doors to Castle Volkihar open.

…

They were greeted by an angry vampire, one who may have been an Altmer before he turned, calling out that they were trespassing. Once he saw Serana though, he changed his tune and was bowing and scraping before her, then raced ahead of them to announce Serana's arrival. They walked through the entryway and into the castle as the vampire prattled on. There was a dual staircase, arcing from each side of the entryway leading down into a huge open dining hall. As Alessia crested the steps and looked into the room, her jaw dropped in horror.

The dining hall was lined with feast tables in a U-shape lining the walls, and though the tables were not full with residents of the castle, those she saw sitting there were more than enough. Mortal bodies lay prone upon the tables and moaning softly into the silence of the breaths the vampire announcing them took. Those seated at the tables were looking up expectantly, blood dripping down their chins as their meal was interrupted.

"I guess I'm expected," Serana said casually, walking down the steps. Alessia shook herself mentally and followed closely, not wanting to be too far from her here. As they reached the bottom and the hall came more into view, Alessia saw the floor was spattered with blood stains, old and new. She could hear the blood of the people moaning on the tables pattering as it dripped down to the floor around her, and swallowed hard to keep from vomiting.

"My long lost daughter returns at last," a voice intoned as they walked to the center of the hall. "I trust you have my Elder Scroll." An opulently dressed man at the far table rose as they neared. Alessia froze, remembering what Serana had said about her father.

Serana snorted as she neared the man. "After all these years, that's the first thing you ask me?" she replied, then sighed as she looked to the ground. "Yes, I have the Scroll."

"Of course I am happy to see you, my daughter," the man said, stopping well short of Serana. "Must I say the words? Ah, if only your traitorous mother were here, I would let her watch this reunion before putting her head on a spike." Serana shrunk back at the words, making him snicker. "Now, tell me. Who is this stranger that you've brought to my home?" he drawled, staring at Alessia.

Serana smiled genuinely at her. "This is my savior, the one who released me."

"For my daughter's safe return, you have my gratitude. Tell me, what is your name?"

The air was dark with smoke from the many torches lighting the room, and she couldn't block out the dripping from the tables behind her but Alessia swallowed her fear and spoke confidently. "My name is Alessia, Guildmaster of the Thieves' Guild and the Dragonborn. And you are?"

"I am Harkon, Lord of this court. I am pleased to meet one as…powerful as you," he replied, smiling toothily. "By now, my daughter will have told you what we are."

"You're vampires," Alessia responded, trying as hard as she could to not turn her head and look at the rest of them surrounding her as they feasted on the flesh of the living around her.

Harkon laughed, the rich bass reverberating off the walls. "Not just vampires, child. We are among the oldest and most powerful vampires in Skyrim. For _centuries_ we lived here, far from the cares of the world. All that ended when my wife betrayed me and stole away what I valued most," he said, beginning to pace the length of the room.

Alessia sighed, realizing what he was working towards. "Do I get a reward for saving your daughter?" she asked preemptively.

The Master Vampire smiled. "I was about to suggest that very thing. Yes, you most certainly deserve a reward," he said, his grin turning to a feral sneer.

Being a skilled thief and having learned from Brynjolf's 'sales' in the marketplace of Riften, Alessia knew what Harkon was doing. The inflection of his words and how he moved told her before he even spoke the words.

"There is but one gift I can give that is equal in value to the Elder Scroll and my daughter. I offer you my blood. Take it, and you will walk as a lion among sheep. Men will tremble at your approach and you will never fear death again."

"And if I refuse your gift?" Alessia asked, forcing her voice to not tremble.

"Then you will be prey like all mortals…more valuable prey than most, Dragonborn," he sneered, licking his lips. "I will spare your life this once, but you will be banished from this hall." Harkon read her face as disbelieving rather than disgusted. "Perhaps you need convincing? Behold the power!"

Harkon's arrogant features contorted as he knelt, wisps of black energy enveloping his form. He grew larger, wings sprouting from his upturned shoulder blades. The energy dissipated as he stood, now half again his prior height and clad in a loincloth rather than the immaculate robes he had been in. His skin was now a teal green, his wings tattered and twisted as if they had been damaged previously, flapping feebly behind him more as a scare tactic than useful. Horns now grew from his temples and the crown of his head, twisting among a crown of gold and jewels. His teeth had grown into fangs, also twisted as many Orc she had seen, and he smiled grotesquely at her as he rose above the floor.

"Now, make your choice," the monster in front of her growled, and Alessia wanted nothing more than Anders here with her now, his mere presence comforting her when she would rather piss her breeches.

She took a deep breath, her hands moving towards her daggers though she knew fighting would be useless. "I don't want to be a vampire. I refuse your gift." _I've failed everyone, but not without a fight. I'm sorry, Anders…_

"So be it," Harkon growled, his tattered wings lifting him further from the ground and time seemed to slow before her. "You are prey like all mortals," the creature sneered, glaring hatefully down at Alessia. "To think of the power you could have wielded." His hand glowed, a purple and black twisting ball above it. "I banish you!" he screeched, throwing the ball of energy at Alessia.

It hit her before she could withdraw her daggers, her muscles contorting. She screamed in pain as she fell to the ground, hitting her head on the stone below. She caught a glimpse of Serana staring at her apologetically.

Serana's sweet voice whispered in her head. "I'm so sorry, Alessia."

And everything went black.

…

_**A/N from moosesaregreat: Its AC's birthday today and I know she will delete this bit before posting but oh well! Happy birthday! *hearts because ff won't let me make hearts***_

_**A/N from AlyssaCousland: Nope! Leaving it here! Haha! **_


	23. Chapter 23

_**Hey everyone! So very sorry for not having posted in a while. I was ill, and my partner in crime had some computer problems and is now ill. (Get better, moosesaregreat!) **_

_**Thanks to all who reviewed: CouslandSpitFire, koguma, MB18932, Graymalkyn and KnightOfHolyLight (if I'm forgetting anyone, please forgive me!) Also thanks to all of you who have favorited this fic and are now following it! You all are awesome!**_

_**As usual our disclaimer: Bethesda and Bioware own everything. We just play with the characters! :D **_

Chapter 23

_Alessia opened her eyes and blinked slowly, the room spinning and her vision hazy. As her sight adjusted, she realized that she was on the floor of the feast hall in Volkihar, staring at the cold stone floor beneath her. She pushed herself up to her hands and knees and turned to look around the room. Where before, there were only a few at the bloody banquet tables, the seats were now filled-people of every race, each one with glowing eyes turned to stare at her._

_As she rose to her feet, the full hall went back to their feasting-biting and suckling upon the prone mortal bodies on the tables before them. Panicking, Alessia turned to run and stumbled. As her vision grew dark again, Harkon's transformed face rose before her. _

"_Power," he whispered, the face materializing into his whole grotesque form. "The blood of a Daedric Prince…" he said as he moved closer, his mangled teal wings flapping once before settling against his back. "…and the Dragon Blood. Can you conceive of the power you would wield?"_

"_I don't want power," Alessia replied feebly as Harkon drew a taloned finger along her throat and chuckled._

"_But, combined…Alduin wouldn't stand a chance against your power," he purred, dragging his mangled nail along her chin. "It's painless to accept me," he whispered, cupping her face in his palm almost tenderly. "The others have," he smiled, sweeping his other arm to indicate all of those in the hall. "They understand that I will persevere for my Prince. They know that only through me will they live once we swarm Nirn with Molag Bal's blood. Only through me," Harkon sighed seductively, caressing Alessia's cheek as he ran his tongue up her neck, his fangs grazing her._

"_NOOOOOOOOOO!"_

…

"NOOOOOOOO!" Alessia screamed, thrashing about with her fists and catching Anders in the nose as he held her prone body close to him. She had appeared out of nowhere next to the dock at Volkihar and fallen to the ground, startling Anders out of the worried pacing he had assumed once she entered the massive keep without him.

"Sweetheart, wake up!" Anders murmured, holding a hand to his nose. He quickly healed himself and shook Alessia gently.

Alessia opened her eyes and the expression of terror on her face alarmed him. He inspected every inch of her face and neck, but could not find any open wounds on her. "Did I…_hit_ you?" she whispered as her hand shot out to wipe some blood from his face.

"It's fine – you don't have to worry. I healed myself already," Anders murmured. "What happened? Did they hurt you?"

Alessia closed her eyes and shuddered, then shook her head. "I – I…can't," she said, burying her face in his chest. "I want to leave, please!"

He pursed his lips, trying to control the fury bubbling up in him. Serana had promised Alessia wouldn't be hurt. Yet here she was, reduced to a shaking girl, scared out of her wits. He sat her gently on the boat and took off his coat, wrapping it gently around her, then took the oars and rowed back to the jetty. Alessia just sat there and trembled all the way over, her hands clasping the wooden board she was sitting on, her eyes fixed on the wooden floor of the boat.

"Here we are, sweetheart. Come on, let's go home," Anders whispered as he helped her out of the boat. The horses stood nearby, pawing at the spiky grass that grew wild along the coast. He turned back to Alessia as she gave him back his coat and mounted her horse, avoiding his gaze. Once on the horse, she dug her heels into its sides making it start and whinny. Anders quickly mounted and followed as she forced her horse into a gallop.

They arrived at the Solitude stables where they left their horses then went up the slope to the city gates. One of the guards there made a stupid comment that Anders didn't quite catch and he smiled automatically as Alessia mechanically pushed one of the doors open.

They walked to Proudspire Manor, and Alessia dropped her pack at the side of the door, wordlessly heading for the staircase. Anders left his pack next to hers and hurried after her. Once he got to the top of the stairs he saw that she had closed the bedroom door behind her so he strode up to it and turned the latch, but he couldn't open it.

She had locked the door behind her.

…

Instead of pacing outside the locked door like he wanted to, Anders went back downstairs and cooked a beef stew to try to get his mind off everything. Once the stew was done, he walked down the stairs to the basement where they kept a tin tub and prepared a bath for himself.

The water was hot and comforting and it soothed him. When he was done he cleaned up the tub and heard Alessia's footsteps above, so he quickly dried himself and went up the stairs, a towel wrapped around his hips.

She was sitting at the table, having some stew and did not look up when he entered.

"I just want to ask why you refuse to look at me or talk to me, sweetheart," Anders said softly as he sat on the chair beside hers.

Alessia turned to look at him, the sorrow and fear in her eyes making him wish he hadn't said anything at all. "All right, I won't ask…I promise," he spoke in a gentle voice. "You don't have to tell me…"

She bit her lip and looked down at the bowl of stew, then pushed the bowl away.

"I can prepare a hot bath for you, would you like that?" Anders asked hopefully, giving her a half smile.

She nodded then and his smile turned into a grin. "I'll do that right away and let you know when it's ready, then!" She watched him go and sighed, shutting her eyes for a few moments, but then opening them in fear as the images that haunted her popped up into her head again. She sighed deeply and got up, walking to her backpack that was right next to the door, deciding to busy herself at the alchemy table right after her bath.

She knew she had to keep busy, for if she did not, she would surely go insane.

…

Anders put on a long white tunic and frowned. It was already past midnight, yet Alessia had chosen to remain in the basement. He pursed his lips as he went down the stone staircase, stopping only when he reached Alessia. She had her back to him and was also wearing a white tunic that reached her thighs. Her hair was still wet and fell over her back as she bent over the mortar and pestle at the alchemy table.

He could tell that she had heard him for she tensed slightly, her whole body stiffening as she stopped what she was doing briefly. Anders's frown deepened, but he said nothing, and she resumed what she was doing with more force than necessary, pounding at the ingredients violently. The mortar broke and she stopped, letting out a cry of anguish.

Anders hurried towards her and put his arms around her, and she leaned back into him, sobbing.

"Let me comfort you, sweetheart. You know it will all get better if you talk to me," he whispered, his hands wrapped around her protectively.

Without warning she spun around, looking up at him, her icy-blue eyes shimmering with tears, her cheeks a bright red.

"Take me, Anders," she whispered as her eyes darkened with lust. "Take me here and now, I beg you…"

Anders faltered for a few moments, but she rubbed against him and stood on her toes to kiss him. His lips parted in surprise and her tongue sought his, and soon they were lost in the moment of the kiss. She mewled with pleasure pressing her body closer to his and he felt the fire coursing through his veins as he picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

He didn't know how he managed it, but they ended up in the nearby bedroom on the bed, separating for only a few moments to take off their tunics.

"Take me all night long, Anders," she whispered, looking up at him, her eyes now completely dark with desire. "I want to feel…I don't want to think. I don't want to think. Ever. Again."

…

He woke in the middle of the night with her thrashing around the bed. He tried to soothe her, and shook her gently, but she would not wake, and he half-sat up in bed, worried out of his wits. She continued thrashing, until she cried out – the exact same word that she has screamed when she had appeared on the dock.

He gathered her into his arms as her eyes opened wide with fear, vainly trying to comfort her as she clung to him, crying stormily on his chest. He whispered soothing words to her over and over, rocking her gently.

"I'm here, sweetheart. No worries. Nothing's going to happen to you. I'll protect you."

She fell asleep after a while in his arms, and he brushed her hair back, laying her softly on the pillow, his brow furrowed with worry. He didn't know why she was so broken, but she was. He had to try to make her tell him what she had experienced – what had happened, for it would only get worse.

One thing was for certain:

She was the one with the nightmares now.

…

Five days went by. Five nights of love-making and endless nightmares.

Anders sighed as he watched her closely. On the morning of the sixth day, he could not take it any longer. It was time to demand answers.

"Sweetheart, I need you to tell me what happened. It's the only way for you to get better."

She looked up at him, the fear in her eyes evident. After a few moments she sighed and nodded, biting her bottom lip nervously as she looked up into his eyes again.

"It was…the whole experience was….horrible," she said, hesitating for a while before she continued. We went into the castle, and there was a long dining table, made up of several long tables, I'm sure. The…creatures sitting at the tables were vampires, all feeding on half-dead and dead mortals." She closed her eyes shut and shook her head while Anders felt the fury coursing through his veins again.

"Serana swore to protect you – where was she?" He said through clenched teeth.

"She was…it wasn't her fault. This was where her father was, and I had agreed to deliver her to her father, remember?" Alessia half-whispered. "They didn't touch me, Anders."

"And her father?" Anders countered, keeping his anger under control.

"He…he didn't touch me either. I -," she shook her head and bit her bottom lip again nervously. "Serana told him that I had protected her and brought her safely home. Then he –" her voice faltered.

"He what, sweetheart?" Anders asked in a gentle tone, his anger quickly vanishing.

"He asked me my name and I told him who I was, and he talked about what he was…then, he offered a – a '_reward_' for bringing his daughter home…"

Anders swore softly under his breath, knowing too well what that 'reward' was. Alessia shook her head and frowned. "He wanted to convince me, so he – he changed…to show me how powerful I would be. He changed, Anders. Turned into this terrible creature, trying to convince me to take his 'gift' his 'offer'…telling me I would be powerful…"

She took a deep breath, but she was trembling and Anders's hands gently rubbed her back. After a while, she continued speaking.

"He said that if I refused him, I would be banished from the castle and I would become prey like all the other mortals - but a valuable prey because I was Dragonborn. I was ready to fight him, Anders. I had my hands on the hilts of my daggers and was ready…but he _did_ banish me, because he threw a purple ball of light at me and I slid to the floor and must have fainted…but then, I had the nightmare…the same one I have been having every night when I sleep," Alessia trembled again, and shook her head. "In it, I am in front of him and he is trying to convince me to accept his gift. He – tells me I would be able to defeat Alduin easily…and…" a look of disgust crossed her features, "I can feel his sharp fangs on my neck, his tongue _tasting_ me…."

Anders cursed again, loudly this time, and she uttered a cry and broke down, crying again on his chest as he held her tightly in his arms.

She quieted down and he thought she was asleep, so when she spoke he started.

"I don't have the disease, but just in case I took a potion. I'm sure that what I saw when I fainted at the castle was what he wanted me to see. He's a monster and takes pleasure terrifying others. I can't forget, Anders. And I keep seeing the same thing over and over again in my dreams…I need the nightmares to stop, because I have to take care of the problem, but I don't know how…"

"I'll heal you, sweetheart. Remember, I can heal spiritual or mental maladies as well. Don't worry, I won't fail," Anders whispered gently.

She looked up at him and his whole chest tightened as she smiled – the first genuine smile he had seen ever since she had returned from the castle.

"Thank you, Anders. Where would I be without my healer?"

…

Now that Anders knew what had happened and what Alessia was going through, he devoted the following days to the healing process. Three days later, Alessia stopped having the nightmares and he was relieved when she said she wanted to travel to Fort Dawnguard as soon as possible. She was smiling more and eating a lot more and he was happy that she was finally alright.

They set off for the fort the following day, stopping to make camp on the way twice and arrived a week later.

As soon as they arrived, they were greeted by Isran, who came up to them with a worried frown on his face. Alessia quickly told him what had happened.

"You let a vampire go with an Elder Scroll?" Isran growled, anger flashing in his eyes. Anders stepped up in front of Alessia protectively.

"She was in a large room full of vampires - vampires who were _feasting_ on human beings, by the way. What _exactly_ was she supposed to do?" Anders demanded through clenched teeth, his eyes glowing blue momentarily.

"I'm…sorry," Isran said contritely, rubbing his hand across his forehead. "I realize that we are up against a very powerful enemy. If this vampire's father is Lord Harkon as you say, he is one of the Volkihar vampires - a pureblood. No wonder the vampires are so bold." Isran shook his head.

"How do we defeat him?" Alessia asked.

"We'll need more help, I'm afraid. I want you to get ahold of two people who I hope will be willing to help us. One of them is Sorine Jurard. She knows everything about crossbows and would be a great addition. She's obsessed with the Dwemer, so the best place to look for her is in the Reach. The other person I want you to find is Gunmar. He is an excellent smith, but that is not why I want him on our side. Let's just say he knows a lot about animals and leave it at that. You'll see when you meet him."

"Any idea where we can track this Gunmar down?" Anders asked.

"Gods," Isran said, shaking his head, "not really, no. But I would try caves and bear dens. Anywhere you'd find wild animals or trolls," he added thoughtfully. Anders and Alessia exchanged a look. "You may have to _convince_ them to come to Fort Dawnguard. We didn't exactly part as friends," Isran added, walking away. "But I'm sure they'll listen to you."

…

When Anders saw the fighting in the distance, he pulled on the reigns of the horse and turned to Alessia who was jumping off her horse and leading it to some bushes, gesturing at him to follow.

"Gods!" She hissed. "I didn't want this to happen, but since we are looking around for someone that may be anywhere in the Reach, I guess it was bound to happen anyway…"

"What do you mean? Who are those people?" Anders asked, keeping his eyes on the men who were swarming around a dilapidated fort, while the catapults made the ground they were standing on shake slightly.

"The Civil War…I suppose we'll be running into the fighting since we're roaming around everywhere looking for Sorine Jurard and Gunmar. See the men in blue? Those are Stormcloaks. The reddish armor belongs to the Imperials."

"Ah, I see," Anders murmured, seemingly mesmerized.

Alessia rolled her eyes. "What is it about men and fighting?" she sighed as she pulled him away. "Come on. We'll have to go around, which means we'll end up further to the south than I had originally planned. I guess we'll also have to be more careful not to travel anywhere near forts, but since the majority of the forts that are actually in the Reach are full of Foresworn, then it won't be a problem…except for running into the Foresworn, that is…"

They continued to walk away from the battle, leading their horses into a woodsy area, until the landscape changed and they found themselves in an area of open plains. Alessia pursed her lips.

"If I'm correct, then we are around Rorikstead. It's not that bad, actually…I thought we would be completely off…"

"You want to stop at the inn in Rorikstead for the night?" Anders asked, urging his horse to keep up with Alessia's. "The horses really need some rest, I think. We've been riding almost non-stop now."

"And you must be hungry as well," Alessia smiled. "Let's set up camp around here for the night. I don't really want to ride to Rorikstead. I want to head to the north so that we get to the Reach at least. But first, I want to get away from that fort as much as possible…"

…

They came upon a Nordic ruin, a huge carved door beckoning at Alessia from where they stood. Anders understood immediately that there was probably a word wall inside.

"You can't keep your eyes off it," he sighed leading the horse to the entrance of the place. "I assume there is another word for you to learn inside…"

"I guess I'll have to get used to the words calling to me," Alessia nodded, her eyes still on the door as she led her horse to the left side of the entrance, with Anders following suit. "I will have to learn them if I wish to become stronger in the Way of the Voice in order to fight Alduin, right?"

"I suppose," Anders murmured, the worried look in his eyes making her smile.

"Hey! We've done this before, haven't we?" Her eyes were twinkling and he smiled back as she pushed open the great door.

"That doesn't mean it isn't dangerous," Anders sighed as he followed her inside.

A ghostly figure rose from a throne in the middle of a vast vestibule and approached them. Anders glanced at Alessia who stood perfectly still, her hands moving quickly to the hilts of her daggers.

The ghost, however, did not attack them.

"Leave, stranger," it begged them in mournful tones. "Evil stirs in this place. I fear for the security of the very land if it should break free…"

"What evil? What is this place?" Alessia asked.

"You are standing in the ruins of Valthume, and I guard the tomb of Hevnoraak, who has been dead for many generations. I fear, however that his return may be at hand."

"Henvoraak?" Alyssa echoed.

"He was a very powerful dragon priest. I have guarded his tomb to keep him from rising, but I feel my strength is fading away…If he awakes and defeats me, he will wreak havoc upon the land…and destruction and chaos will follow in his footsteps…"

"We could help you defeat this dragon priest for good," Alessia said with a smile. "Just tell us what we have to do to help."

The ghost smiled back. "I am Valdar. I could defeat him with the help of a mortal champion such as yourself. There are three vessels scattered inside this vast tomb. You are to find each one and bring them back to me here. They can help vanquish Hevnoraak, saving the land from his vengeance."

"Three vessels? What do they do?" Alessia asked interestedly.

"Hevnoraak planned his resurrection obsessively before dying. His blood was gathered into three vessels to return him to power. If we use the vessels against him, we can kill him when he rises from his sarcophagus." The ghost sighed, shaking its head. "My duty in life and death was to make sure he stayed in his tomb for eternity. Hevnoraak was the leader of the dragon worshippers of old here. He had a way of enthralling people and built up a loyal army of followers. Good men fell under his spell and were forever twisted. Made…evil. After that, fear was enough to keep them in line. He could torture and humiliate them and they would not rebel. Even in death, they serve them still…" the ghost added, sitting on his throne once again.

"Draugr," Anders sighed. "How charming…"

…

There were endless quantities of draugr around the vast ruins as a matter of fact. And each time they reached one of the vessels, there would be a powerful draugr overlord guarding it. As if that wasn't enough, they also ran into frostbite spiders and even a giant one. Alessia had bravely managed to deal the final blow on the massive arachnid and Anders had spent a while getting all the poison off her, while he inspected her for any wounds.

The last vessel they obtained led them to an iron gate. Alessia could hear the chanting on the other side and she hurried to the word wall, absorbing a word that she knew would help her detect her enemy easily. The next time she killed a dragon and absorbed its soul, she would understand the word completely and would be able to use it.

When they returned to Valdar with the three vessels, the spirit happily congratulated them and led them to the room where Hevnoraak's sarcophagus was. He then explained that Hevnoraak would use them to become a powerful lich. By emptying the blood into the sconce in front of the throne, it would then be impossible for the priest to regain his formidable powers. He then instructed Alessia to open each vessel and pour its contents into the scone and then sit on the throne until Valdar resurrected Hevnoraak himself.

Since Anders knew from their previous fight with the dragon priest at Shearpoint that they used elemental magic, he quickly cast an arcane shield around them, and waited - his staff at the ready. Once the weakened dragon priest burst from its tomb it screeched, its words reverberating against the walls of the throne room.

"Fools! You will not hold me here any longer, Valdar!"

Alessia crouched and disappeared just as the lich used its staff to hurl walls of lightning at her, but it was too slow: Alessia was already behind it, slashing at it with her daggers before disappearing once again. Anders flung fireballs at it as it turned towards her slowly, making it scream anew. It tried teleporting, but Alessia suddenly appeared and slashed at it again, and at the same time Anders flung a devastating ice spell on it, encasing it in a sheet of ice while Alessia continued her assault. When the ice started to melt, Alessia rolled on the floor silently before performing a fatal backstab. The dragon priest screamed again as it crumbled into ash.

Anders rushed to Alessia and Valdar reappeared walking towards the couple with a smile on his face.

"I thank you for your help, Champion. Take Hevnoraak's mask and staff. The mask will protect you from any disease or poison and the staff will kill your enemies with lightning. You have not only saved Skyrim, but freed me from my eternal duty as Hevnoraak's guardian. I can now rest in peace…"

Valdar vanished and Alessia smiled up at Anders, who took her in his arms.

"That was fun," Alessia grinned. "Let's do it again!"

"Fun, she says, as if it's a game!" Anders exclaimed, shaking his head. "Throwing yourself at danger at every opportunity will certainly kill me, but for now I think I'll settle for a kiss." he added as his lips descended upon hers.

…

Sorine Jurard was concerned when they met her because she had lost her satchel which had some Dwemer Gyros in it.

"Do you think mudcrabs might've taken it? I saw one around here the other day…" her voice trailed off as she glanced around wistfully, hoping her satchel would suddenly appear out of nowhere.

Alessia controlled the urge to roll her eyes, and bit the inside of her cheeks to keep from laughing. "I didn't see any, no. But I didn't come from the river bank either," she replied. "Isran sent me."

"Isran? Now that's a name I thought I'd never hear again," Sorine pursed her lips.

"He needs your help," Alessia said quickly.

"Isran? My help? Are we talking about the same person?" Sorine replied, her brow furrowed. "When we parted ways he made it very clear that he didn't need my help anymore."

"Well, things are pretty bad, and we really do need your help. Vampires have started to attack towns and major cities," Alessia added shaking her head.

Sorine's eyebrows flew up to her hairline. "Vampires, you say? Well, now that's a surprise…"

"They have an Elder Scroll," Alessia supplied. "So you can see the matter is really serious."

"An Elder Scroll?" Sorine repeated, her eyes widening in amazement. "Then I'll go with you to meet him. But I really need my satchel. It was full of Dwemer gyros and is very important for my work. Could you help me find it?"

Alessia nodded, heading for the river bank. Two mudcrabs suddenly rose from their hiding places in the mud and hobbled over, but Alessia quickly dispatched them. The satchel was a few feet away, resting against a rock.

"Is this it?" She queried, holding it up for Sorine to see.

"Yes! Thank you so much! Now then, where are we going?"

"Our headquarters is at Fort Dawnguard in the Rift, but I need to find someone else first," Alessia replied. "A man called Gunmar."

"Oh, I know where he is," Sorine said cheerfully. I met him on the road two days ago. He was headed towards a bear den in a cave nearby. We can all go get him. Though I'm sure he'll want our help killing the bears before he agrees to go anywhere with you."

…

When Alessia returned to Fort Dawnguard with Anders, Sorine and Gunmar, she stepped into the large round main hall and was suddenly blinded by a bright light that shone down on them all. Gates sprung up in the four arches leading to different places within the fort, barring their way. Isran appeared on the second floor balcony, leaning against the rails.

"I see he has not changed," Gunmar sighed, shaking his head.

"Actually, I hadn't expected such a 'warm' welcome," Sorine replied, her hand shielding her eyes from the bright light.

"What are you doing?" Alessia demanded angrily. "You asked me to find them, remember?"

"One can never be too cautious," Isran called out to his four prisoners below. "I have to make sure you aren't vampires."

"Well, do you see us writhing in agony, or smoking under the light?" Gunmar practically growled.

The light was extinguished and the gates lowered. "I have my reasons. Particularly concerning you, Alessia. Please follow me and enlighten me as to why a vampire came looking for you here. Sorine and Gunmar, you can head over to the forge, which is down the corridor on the left. Welcome to Fort Dawnguard."

Anders gave a startled glance at Alessia, who was already making her way towards the circular stairs that led up to the second floor. A vampire was looking for her? Surely it wasn't a threat, for judging by what had just transpired; Isran was in one piece and quite calm. Then that vampire could only be…

Isran met them at the top of the stairs and led the way to a small torture room, where Anders's misgivings came true.

Standing in the middle of the room was the vampire they had released from the tomb in Dimhollow Crypt: Serana.

And she had the Elder Scroll with her.

…


	24. Chapter 24

_**Thanks for the reviews: koguma, Graymalkyn, MB18932 and KnightOfHolyLight! A very special thanks to my friend LadyDarksbane, who is taking some time to read and review each chapter! You guys rock! :D **_

_**Please keep my co-writer moosesaregreat in your prayers, she is still ill and going through a rough time!**_

_**This chapter is where things get 'complicated'. Hope you all like it! :D **_

_**Our disclaimer as usual: Bethesda and Bioware own everything! **_

Chapter 24

"Here…" Isran gestured towards the dark-haired woman, "She says she'll speak to you and no one else." He then turned to Serana. "If I see you make the slightest move to attack, you're dead."

"Serana, what are _you_ doing here?" Alessia asked at the same time Isran spoke to Serana.

Serana set her glowing eyes on Isran for a few moments and frowned before she turned to Alessia again, ignoring Anders completely.

"I'm here to help. We have a problem, and I think we should try to solve it as soon as possible," Serana replied, pursing her lips.

"A problem?" Alessia frowned. "What problem would that be other than _you_ showing up here?"

"I know you may not trust me, but all I ask is that you listen to me," Serana said, glancing at Isran once again.

"I have my hand on the hilt of my sword, monster," Isran grumbled.

"I'll remember this the next time I'm feeling hungry," Serana snarled.

"If we're going to start off by fighting, we'll never get anywhere!" Alessia interrupted, flashing an angry stare on them both. "Now, what problem are you talking about?" she asked Serana again.

"You've met my father. He isn't very nice…not even by vampire standards. The Elder Scroll I carry has to do with a prophecy: A prophecy that he wants to fulfill in order to gain power over the sun. Basically, it means that if he gets his hands on this and on a Moth Priest - the only ones that can read Elder Scrolls - everyone will be in danger – grave danger."

"I've heard a Moth Priest has recently arrived from Cyrodiil," Isran said.

"That is very fortunate indeed," Serana commented. "We'll need to find him if we want to learn what the entire prophecy is."

Isran turned to Alessia. "I don't believe in prophecies, but if this puts us one step closer to victory against the vampires, then I think you should search for this priest."

Alessia turned to Isran, and then glanced back at Serana. She was a vampire…but she had to trust her. After all, Serana hadn't lied to her yet. She may have kept a number of things from her, but she was standing here in the fort, ready to help them out. That meant something. Besides, the faster she solved the problem, the closer she would get to finding out where Alduin had flown off to.

"Where do we go? Who would know where this monk is?" Alessia wondered out loud, her brow furrowed in thought.

"The College of Winterhold probably knows something," Serana suggested. "Before I was locked away in Dimhollow Crypt, the college was the most reliable source of information in Skyrim."

"Or you could try innkeepers. They might know as well," Isran shrugged. "I must go speak to Sorine and Gunmar. Look for me when you return." Isran then turned around and walked away.

Serana glanced at Anders and turned back to Alessia. "If we're going to find this Moth Priest, I want to make something perfectly clear. I will not go with you if _he_ is with us. I don't trust him," Serana said, gesturing towards Anders.

Anders's eyes widened and fell on Alessia, who stiffened slightly. She was blushing and her eyes were fixed on the floor.

_No! It can't be that she is actually considering…_

Alessia glanced up at Anders and their eyes met. His heart sank.

"Anders," she began in a soft voice.

"_What_? You're actually going to do this? Send me away like a _pet dog_?" Anders cried out in disbelief.

"Anders, please, try to understand…I have to take care of this in order to get the Jarl's approval to find out about Alduin!"

Anders shook his head. He was trembling slightly with rage. His eyes flashed blue for a moment. "I can't believe you're actually going to do this! I can't believe you would trust a _vampire_ this much." He shook his head, unable to say another word.

"It's not for very long, I'm sure! We'll just find out what the prophecy says and solve the problem, right?" She turned briefly to Serana who just looked at them both without comment.

"Don't say anything else," Anders whispered, breathing heavily as he tried to get a grip on himself.

"Here are the keys to both Proudspire Manor and Honeyside. Please, don't be angry…"she slipped the keys into Anders's backpack and looked sadly up at him.

Anders didn't look at her or say another word. He whirled around and stormed out of the fort, slamming the large doors behind him loudly.

Alessia struggled to keep herself in check and managed to stop the tears from falling. She turned back to Serana.

"We'll set out for the College of Winterhold immediately. We have no time to lose."

…

Alessia was very quiet on their way to Winterhold, but when they were attacked by vampires she reacted violently and quickly. Serana helped out in the fight and soon the three assassins crumpled to ash at their feet. Alessia had been hurt by one of their daggers, and she searched in her backpack for a healing potion. Serana was an exceptionally talented mage, but she was not a healer. Alessia felt a pang of sadness when she remembered the last time she had called Anders 'my healer' at Proudspire Manor. She drank the potion and grimaced. She had forgotten how bitter they tasted.

Her wound healed immediately, but it would leave a scar, something that Anders's magic wouldn't do. She sighed and motioned at Serana to keep up. She wasn't riding her horse; she had left it back at the fort since Serana had scared all the horses there when she had tried to approach them.

Walking everywhere was a nuisance, but Alessia reminded herself that soon she would solve the problem and finally be able to ride her horse. She sighed again when she realized that riding her horse wasn't the only reason why she wanted the whole problem over with. She missed Anders terribly, and when they set up camp in the wilderness and Serana said she would take up watch during the night, she slipped into her bedroll and cried herself to sleep.

Serana heard her and shook her head. She admired Alessia greatly and knew what she was feeling. She didn't want her to be so unhappy, but she didn't trust her friend either. He was but a mere mortal man, and she had had enough of men in her past. She promised herself that she would make the journey as agreeable as she could, or keep Alessia busy at least, so that she would not be so sad.

Alessia woke up before dawn when it was still dark. The first thing she saw when she opened the flap of the tent was Serana's glowing eyes and her heart felt heavy. She tried to keep the sadness inside and instead smiled at her then sat at the campfire. She had a silent breakfast of bread and cheese and drank some water while Serana busied herself packing. Soon, they were on the road again.

They reached Winterhold six days later, and as Alessia went up the ramp towards the college, her heart began to thump wildly in her chest. What if Anders was here? What if she ran into him if he was? What would she say to him? She was so lost in thought that she bumped into the apprentice that she had met the last time she had been in the college.

"Oh! Sorry!" Onmund said at the same time Alessia cried out. She had bumped her head into his chest and it had felt like she had run into a brick wall.

"No, I should have watched where I was going!" Alessia said, rubbing her forehead.

"Stand still," the Nord mage said cheerfully as he healed her. The golden glow that enveloped her reminded her of Anders and her smile vanished.

Onmund frowned. "Are you alright? I did manage to heal you, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did!" Alessia hurried to say with a smile. "Thanks for that!"

"Ah, good. I'm not a very good healer, but I excel at Destruction spells, particularly those based on shock damage. I'm glad you are alright," Onmund grinned back. "Are you joining the college?"

"No. I'm here to speak to the librarian. I need some information," Alessia explained.

"Well, Urag is the best source of information around Skyrim," Onmund nodded. "I'll let you be on your way." He stepped aside and smiled at both Alessia and Serana, then opened the doors that led outside.

Alessia turned and opened the door that led to the Arcanaeum. Soon she was standing right in front of the Orc librarian with Serana right behind her.

"Hello. I don't know if you remember me," Alessia began, unsure whether or not Urag was in a good mood. "But I was here before inquiring about –"

"The Elder Scroll. Yes. I remember you," Urag said smiling, his long fang-like teeth stretching over his lips. "Did you find Septimus?"

"I did. And I found the scroll for him, but he gave it to me. He only needed a lexicon with the information of the scroll on it," Alessia smiled.

Urag nodded. "Crazy old bat," he shook his head. "What can I do for you today?"

"I need some information, and since you are a reliable source –"Alessia was interrupted by a very loud rasping noise coming from Urag. She suddenly realized that he wasn't choking to death like she initially thought he was, but laughing.

"Reliable, ha!" He managed to say after a few minutes. "Carry on!"

"Well, I was wondering if you heard of any Moth Priests that have travelled to Skyrim recently. Someone told me there was one that has just arrived."

"You're in luck. There was one inquiring about Elder Scrolls here not two days ago. I couldn't tell him exactly where one was, so he left for Dragon Bridge. If you hurry, you may find him at the inn," Urag smiled.

"Thank you so much, Urag," Alessia said warmly. She turned to leave, but Urag's voice made her stop still in her tracks.

"Your friend…that blond mage you were with before inquiring about the books. He arrived with them yesterday. He left saying that he had to find the Augur of Dunlain, so he's probably still in the college. He's helping out the mages a lot, and seems to be an experienced mage. I have a good eye and I predict he'll do very well in the college," Urag said in a cheerful tone as he went over a pile of books on his desk, moving them around into smaller piles.

Alessia turned back slowly to look at Urag, but he was absorbed in his task. She turned away again and her eyes met Serana's briefly.

"Let's hurry to Dragon's Bridge," Serana was quick to say. "Thank you for your help," she called out to Urag, who waved absentmindedly at them.

…

Anders left the Arch-Mage's quarters where he had gone to speak to the Arch-Mage about what he had learned from the Augur of Dunlain. The Arch-Mage had not been in his quarters, but Anders knew exactly where he could be. Pausing for a moment, he turned and opened the gates leading to the Hall of the Elements. The Eye of Magnus stood suspended in the middle of the circular room, emitting a blue glow and humming lightly. The Augur had warned him about the danger of imminent disaster, which no one was yet aware of and Anders wasn't at all surprised when he saw the Arch-Mage gazing at the glowing orb in a dazed state. He briskly crossed the room and stood right next to Savos Aren, avoiding Ancano who was standing on the other side of the circular room, watching the apprentices practice their magic.

Anders cleared his throat and Savos turned slightly to look at him, smiling mechanically, but did not speak.

"Arch-Mage, I have some important information regarding the Eye of Magnus," Anders said in a low voice. Even though Ancano was clear across the room on the other side, he didn't want to risk him overhearing.

"What do you mean, the Eye of Magnus?" Aren asked, giving Anders a puzzled look.

"It's the orb that is in front of us. It's what the Augur of Dunlain called it," Anders replied patiently.

The Arch-Mage's eyes widened in surprise and he gave Anders his full attention.

"You talked to the Augur of Dunlain? How interesting!" The Arch-Mage murmured.

"We have to be extremely careful, Arch-Mage. The Augur warned me that this orb is dangerous and we will need the Staff of Magnus to control it in order to avoid disaster," Anders added.

"The Staff of Magnus?" Aren echoed, rubbing his goatee thoughtfully.

"Yes. Do you know where it is?" Anders asked as the Arch-Mage focused his gaze on the Eye again.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" the Arch-Mage asked, his gaze now trance-like.

Anders shut his eyes and shook his head, then sighed.

"Arch-Mage, we really need that Staff," he insisted.

"The Staff? Ah, yes. Mirabelle was talking about it recently, I think. Why don't you go speak to her?" the Dunmer mage replied, his eyes still on the orb.

Anders felt he was being watched and he turned. Ancano had fixed a piercing gaze on him and did not break eye contact when Anders's eyes locked on his. The Altmer continued to stare and Anders turned back to Aren who was smiling at him. "You're making a lot of progress here and helping the mages. You sought out the Augur of Dunlain and you are taking great steps to ensure our safety and that of Skyrim. Here, take this circlet. It will fortify your magicka."

"Thank you, Arch-Mage," Anders smiled as he took the object. He glanced back at Ancano, but the Thalmor had left the room.

Anders turned to leave, but froze on the spot as the door to the Arcanaeum opened and the light streaming in from above suddenly caught on a long, bright crimson braid. His heart thumped loudly in his chest as he quickly moved behind the orb to avoid being spotted, but saw Serana glancing in his direction. Their eyes met briefly and Anders felt Justice struggling to surface. He turned to look at the Eye, a plethora of emotions coming over him in waves. He wanted Alessia in his arms again, but at the same time he fervently wished her on her way. One thing was certain - he wasn't ready to face her yet. Looking back, he saw that they were gone and he scowled when he realized he didn't feel relieved at all.

…

Unlike Anders, Serana felt extremely relieved because Alessia hadn't seen Anders at all. They took the carriage to Solitude which wasn't far from Dragon Bridge.

When they arrived at the Solitude stables, Alessia turned to Serana.

"I need to get some potions from my house here. It won't take long," she said with a smile. Serana smiled back and they made their way to the city gates.

Once inside, Alessia was greeted by several of the residents as they made their way to Proudspire Manor. Alessia picked the lock of the house, since she had given her only key to Anders and walked inside, followed closely by Serana. She then walked down the stone staircase to the basement, and collected some ingredients. Walking towards the alchemy table, she got busy making some Cure Disease potions, while Serana used the Enchanting table nearby.

When she was done, Alessia put the potions in her backpack and approached Serana who looked up from the Enchanting table and smiled.

"How are you feeling about discovering what the prophecy says?" Alessia asked her.

"A little nervous and worried," Serana admitted truthfully. "I know my father is obsessed with it, and it was the prophecy that made my father and mother fight." Serana's brow furrowed and the sadness in her eyes made Alessia regret asking her anything at all.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be talking about this. I can see it hurts you," Alessia murmured.

"No, it's fine," Serana hurried to say. "We have to talk about it anyway in order to find out what to do and how to stop it."

"It may mean that we have to kill your father. You know this, don't you?" Alessia said.

"Yes, I do," Serana replied sadly. "And it breaks my heart….But when the time comes I know I will be ready."

…

Anders arrived at Riften and left his horse at the stables, heading towards the city gate immediately afterwards. He had given this journey a lot of thought, and there was no other way to go about it. He would have to be extremely careful, but the truth was that what he was about to do was the only solution to his problem.

As he went inside, his eyes combed the wooden pathways that led to the market square. He was looking for someone, but his mind was a million miles away. He had adapted quickly to life in the college and aside from the nightmares that kept him awake most of the nights he spent in his room in the Hall of Attainment, his time there was fast becoming very agreeable. His heart still ached for Alessia, and he missed her terribly, but he knew that he had to focus on the path he was taking in order to help the mages.

His eyes finally spotted the person he had been looking for. Walking quickly to center of the square, he smiled as he stood behind a woman dressed in Nordic armor that gleamed in the sunlight.

"Mjoll?" He asked in a low voice, his smile deepening to a grin when the woman turned to face him. "I don't know if you remember me, but I remember you."

"You were with Alessia, weren't you?" Mjoll smiled back. "The Dragonborn?"

"Yes," Anders replied. "But she is working on something else right now and I'm in need of a bit of help."

"What can I do for you then?" Mjoll asked, her eyes twinkling.

"I need to hire you as a companion to help me out on a few quests. Name your price," Anders said, a smile still playing on the corners of his lips. He saw Mjoll blushing and he waited for her to speak, knowing full well what she was going to say.

"Oh, I don't think I can charge you anything," the Nord woman said quickly, lowering her eyes to the wooden floor before she looked up into his again, the blush on her cheeks deepening. Anders smiled to himself. He knew that Mjoll was attracted to him, which was why he was asking her in the first place, since he didn't have any money at the moment.

_Your flirting with this woman will lead to no good. Especially if the Dragonborn finds out…_

"Shut up, Justice," Anders thought, pushing down the disapproval that he was feeling. "I didn't ask for your opinion."

"That is very kind of you, my lady," Anders said out loud to Mjoll, who laughed and fixed her clear blue gaze on Anders. "We'll be heading to a Dwemer ruin called Mzulft. Do you know where it is?"

Mjoll nodded eagerly. "It's up north close to Windhelm," she said. "Are we leaving immediately?"

"We leave at daybreak tomorrow," Anders said, his warm brown eyes twinkling. "Be ready."

…

Alessia stood perfectly still, the arrow that she had nocked a few seconds previously quivering slightly, but aiming straight at a figure patrolling high above the entrance to a dilapidated ruin in the Forebears' Hideout. She was wearing a ring of the Night Eye which enabled her to see in the dark now; she had taken it from her safe at Proudspire Manor, shaking her head when she realized she had completely forgotten that she had it. Ruins in Skyrim were usually incredibly dark, and these were no exception.

The arrow found and hit its mark, and the figure fell off the wall down to the dusty ground below. Alessia smiled to herself and both she and Serana advanced all the way to the entrance arch, stopping for a while before they went through.

Alessia gestured to Serana that she would be stepping inside to scan the walls and look for stairs that would lead them up to where they had seen a glowing area in the distance, as well as scout for more enemies that were keeping watch. Serana nodded and stayed at the entrance, while Alessia crept forward very slowly, her keen eyes scanning around the ruin for the enemy.

A dark figure paced on the other side of the wall, and Alessia spotted a wooden staircase on her left. She crept up the steps very slowly and quietly and made her way to the second guard, who was looking out towards the dirt courtyard. Stepping lightly behind him, she brought out her dagger and slit his throat. The guard made a low, gurgling sound and his lifeless body slid to the floor.

Alessia ran her eyes over the top of the ruin. From where she was standing, she could see that the bright blue light that was shining on the upper floor was some sort of prison where a man was being kept. She knew the man inside this prison was the Moth Priest they had been looking for and that they would have to rescue him before he was seriously harmed. She saw three vampires standing around the glowing blue prison and heard one of them start a chant on the poor man, probably to enthrall him.

Serana was crouching behind her and motioned to the left. Alessia followed her pointing finger and saw a stone staircase leading up to where the imprisoned man was and she took them, while Serana followed her silently, stopping some distance away in the shadows where she would be concealed and escape detection. Alessia nocked an arrow and it flew through the air hitting the chanting man in his right eye. The man crumpled to dust and the two vampires that were with him took out their daggers and looked for Alessia in the darkness.

Alessia smiled as she crept around in the shadows, readying her bow for another shot at one of the vampires. This time the arrow hit the vampire in the chest, and it also fell to the ground, turning instantly into a pile of ash. The remaining vampire chose to make a run for it, only to be frozen solid by Serana who was waiting on the stone steps of the staircase. Alessia chuckled as she quickly drew her daggers and slashed at the vampire, striking it down.

The man who was in the magical prison started to yell that he would kill Alessia for what she had done and Alessia understood that he was still under the vampire's spell. She quickly looked around the ground searching the ash piles for anything that would help her, finding a blue crystal among the ashes. Looking up, she saw another staircase that led to blue stones on an altar of some kind that were giving out a glow the same color of the prison the monk was in. Alessia realized that the stone she was holding would release the monk from his prison, so she quickly climbed the steps leading to the altar. Placing the stone in a hole in the middle of it, the glowing blue magical barrier around the priest finally dissipated. Alessia then ran back to face the monk, but he brandished a sword and yelled at her.

"We'll have to fight him," Serana called out from the shadows. "It's the only way he'll remember who he is."

Alessia backed away from him and shouted, the Unrelenting Force shout hitting the priest squarely on the chest and making him fly towards the back wall, where he landed with a thud next to some open coffins.

Alessia quickly sheathed her weapons and ran to the priest, who was unconscious and breathing heavily. She quickly looked inside her pack for a healing potion and forced the mixture down the priest's throat.

After a few minutes, the man coughed and blinked, sitting up on the ground and looking around in confusion.

"Where am I? The last thing I remember was my carriage being attacked by vampires!" He exclaimed.

"Take it easy," Alessia said in a soft voice. "And don't worry. I killed the vampires. You're safe."

He looked up at Alessia and slowly smiled. "Thank you, stranger. Who are you, if I may inquire?"

"My name is Alessia. And I'm from the Dawnguard. We're trying to put a stop to the vampire attacks," Alessia smiled.

"I am Dexion Evicus, and extremely happy to meet you. There is no telling what these monsters would have done to me if you hadn't arrived," the Moth Priest said, visibly relieved. "Why would these beasts kidnap me? I don't understand."

"I know exactly why they kidnapped you," Alessia replied. "You're a Moth Priest, and you can read Elder Scrolls. We need your help in doing exactly this for us," she added.

At that moment, Serana, who had been keeping to the shadows, walked up to where they were standing and Dexion glanced at her and did a double take, whipping out his sword. "You didn't kill all of them! Look!" he cried, pointing his sword at Serana.

"Stay your weapon," Alessia said quickly, grabbing his hand. "This vampire is helping us so we can win the war against the vampires. She means you no harm."

The Moth Priest's eyes widened slightly and he turned to inspect Alessia. "Are you sure of this?"

"Yes," Alessia replied. "She has placed herself in danger by joining our ranks. She is on our side."

Dexion lowered his weapon, sheathing it after a few more minutes of staring at Serana intently. He then nodded at Alessia. "Why would the Dawnguard or the vampires need me to read a scroll? Do you have one?"

"We do," Serana said as she took the scroll she was carrying off her back to show it to him. "We believe that it has something to do with a prophecy."

"And we need your help to find out what the prophecy says exactly and where we need to go to put an end to this," Alessia added.

"You said you are from the Dawnguard? What is the Dawnguard?" Dexion asked.

"We are vampire hunters. We are stationed at Fort Dawnguard in the Rift," Alessia said.

Dexion nodded. "Take me to your fort. I will help you in any way I can."

…

When Alessia arrived at the fort, Isran met them at the entrance and was extremely pleased to see the Moth Priest with them. He introduced himself and shook the priest's hand and welcomed him to the fort.

Serana handed Alessia the scroll and she gave it to the priest. "Can you read it for us?"

"Yes, yes, of course!" Dexion said. He was silent for a few moments then opened the scroll. After a short while, he began to talk in a monotone. "I see a vision before me, an image of a great bow. I know this weapon! It is Auriel's Bow! Now a voice whispers, saying '**Among the night's children, a dread lord will rise. In an age of strife, when dragons return to the realm of men, darkness will mingle with light and the night and day will be as one.'**

The voice fades and the words begin to shimmer and distort. But wait, there is more here. The secret of the bow's power is written elsewhere. I think there is more to the prophecy, recorded in other scrolls. Yes. I see them now. One contains the ancient secrets of the dragons, and the other speaks of the potency of ancient blood.

My vision darkens, and I see no more. To know the complete prophecy, we must have the other two scrolls."

Alessia nodded at Dexion words. "We already have one of the scrolls you mentioned," she said, taking the Elder Scroll she carried in her backpack and showing it to Dexion. "We'll have to find the other one then."

Isran's face fell. Nevertheless, he took the Moth Priest's arm and led him to the dining table, telling him that they were just about to sit to dinner. Alessia turned to follow, but Serana grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

"About the other scroll," she said slowly. "I have an idea of where we can find it."

"You do?" Alessia asked her eyes slightly widening in surprise.

"Yes. My mother, Valerica, will know where this Elder Scroll is. She probably has it with her. I'm sure of it. The problem is that I don't know where my mother is right now. She only told me she would go someplace safe where my father would never find her."

"Oh! Well don't you have at least an idea of where we can search for clues of her whereabouts?" Alessia asked.

"Hmm. I think I do. The place where father would never look is inside the castle itself. There is an old secret entrance to the undercroft, which the previous owners used to use to get supplies and smuggle things out of the castle. We can start there," Serana smiled.

"I don't like the idea of returning to the castle after what happened," Alessia shuddered. "Are you sure no one will spot us?"

"I'm very sure, yes. This entrance is on the other side, and the courtyard itself is sealed off from the rest of the castle. My father sealed it off when my mother left. Nobody will even know we are there," Serana said.

"Well, then. I guess it's off to the castle for us. Let me eat and get some rest first. Unlike you, I do have to sleep," Alessia deadpanned. "Besides, I want to see what else the fort can offer us and my daggers could use some sharpening."

…


	25. Chapter 25

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Chapter 25

Sleeping while on the road had been troublesome for Alessia; she was still wary of Serana's vampiric needs, and slept lightly. Alessia knew that she would be safe in the fort and fell into a deep but fitful sleep. The nightmares that were plagued with gore and unholy offerings were now replaced with the angry and accusing face of her lover. She awoke slowly, the grief-stricken dream fading and though she knew the bed would be cold and empty, there was a warm presence at her back. Had all of it been a dream?

Alessia rolled over and put her arm around the body next to her, smiling. Her smile faltered as she found the presence was furry and breathing foul-smelling breath on her face. She wrinkled her nose and cracked an eyelid, and was surprised to find herself staring at one of the fort's war dogs. The huge animal was black with white markings on his face and seemed to be smiling at her, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

She shook her head and sat up. "Go eat some mint leaves, dog. Your breath is horrendous," she said, sitting up on the side of the bed. The dog moved and sat next to her, a pitiful whine escaping as he looked at her sadly. Alessia rolled her eyes, but pet the dog, ruffling his ears. "You're a good doggy, I suppose, but I meant what I said about your breath." The dog snorted and stood as she did, watching her strap herself into her armor.

The dog made a strange noise at the back of its throat, not quite a bark. Alessia looked down at him and he pushed his nose into the gauntlet she was strapping on, looked back at his torso, pressed his nose on the gauntlet again and whined. "Yes, I get it. You wear armor too," she replied, tightening the last straps of her armor. The dog growled, and when she looked back at him, he looked to his torso again and snorted. Alessia sighed. "Don't you have handlers or something to put your armor on you?"

The dog merely sat in front of her, his eyes growing large and sad. Alessia pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance and groaned. "Fine…show me where it is." The dog yipped happily and trotted down the hall, looking back occasionally to make sure she was following. When they reached the kennels, he nosed at a piece of leather armor and Alessia set about strapping him into it. "Alright, you're in your armor. Go find a…lady dog or something." She turned and followed the hall down to the dining room, scooped a plate of ham and eggs out of the pot in the fireplace and sat across from Isran, who was just finishing his meal.

Alessia had just begun shoveling food in her mouth when Isran snickered, gesturing next to her. "I see Bran has taken a liking to you."

"Huh?" she mumbled around a mouthful of eggs, and looked to where he was pointing. The armored dog sat next to her, and seemed to be smiling again. "Stendarr's hairy ass, dog! Sod off!" she exclaimed, trying to shoo the dog away. "He was in my bed and won't leave me alone!"

"Aye, and he won't," Isran said, eyeing her speculatively. "Our war dogs choose their handlers. If Bran here has chosen you, he will follow you till death."

"What if I tell him to follow someone else?"

Isran shook his head. "They are extremely intelligent and fierce in battle. He will do as ordered but if he thinks what you tell him won't protect you from harm, he won't do it. He probably understands everything we're saying right now."

The dog made the strange throaty noise again, and after meeting Alessia's eyes with his own, laid down at her feet.

Alessia sighed and rubbed her hand over her face. "Fantastic." She finished her breakfast and said hello to Sorine, who had just sat down at the table.

"Are you all set up?" Alessia asked politely as she filled a goblet with some water.

"I have quite a few things to sell that might help you even," Sorine smiled as she started to eat her breakfast. "I just got this. If you are fighting with a mage, it could come in handy."

The Breton set a book on the table in front of Alessia, who picked it up interestedly. "Sun Fire spell tome, huh?"

Sorine grinned. "Like I said: Very handy… for dealing with the undead."

Alessia smiled, thinking that Anders would love this spell. "How much for it?"

Sorine smiled. "I have more. Why don't you take this one for bringing me here?"

Alessia was about to protest, but Sorine shook her head. "I insist. You'll put it to good use, I'm sure. And I won't mention this again, but I like it here. It's where I belong."

Alessia smiled and stuffed the book in her backpack. Behind her Bran gave a short bark and Sorine's eyebrows flew to her head. "You've taken a husky as a pet? Good choice! They are extremely intelligent, you know."

"So I've been told," Alessia replied as she got up from the table. "I'll see you later."

She walked off in search of Serana, Bran trailing obediently behind his ward. As they left the fort, Serana secured her hood over her head and smirked at Alessia.

Alessia caught the look on her face. "What?" she asked curtly.

"The irony is just fabulous," Serana laughed. "A pet dog?"

"Shut up, Serana," Alessia replied irritably, knowing full well what she was talking about.

"His own words, even!" she continued as she tried to mimic Anders's voice. "'You send me away like a pet'-"

In the blink of an eye, Alessia turned with her dagger in her hand pointing directly at Serana's face, Bran growling at her side. "You don't need a tongue to get me the other Scroll," she said quietly, her ice-blue eyes flashing.

Serana's eyes narrowed, the smile leaving her face. The two women stared at each other for a tense moment, and then Serana nodded. Alessia sheathed her dagger and turned, stomping up the path.

Serana followed, Bran eyeing her warily and she stared back at him. "The Dragonborn really needs to get a sense of humor," she muttered to herself.

…

They reached the ruins of Mzulft at dusk. The sun rays hit the golden double doors of the entrance to the impressively large Dwemer ruin, making them glow in a soft red-orange hue.

"We have to be careful with the automatons," Mjoll said cheerfully. "But I'm sure I don't have to tell this to you. You must have seen them before?"

Anders nodded. "Spiders and spheres mainly. The largest ones are harder to find, aren't they?"

"Aye," Mjoll nodded. "But they are the most deadly."

Anders pushed open the doors and found that they were in a small foyer. Directly in front of him he saw another pair of double doors, and a person sitting against the wall right next to them bathed in blood. He knelt before the hooded man.

"Must…get…stolen crystal," the Imperial mage said breathing heavily. "Take to Paratus…Oculory…"

The man took one long breath and died. Anders's brow furrowed. He searched him and found a journal. Opening it he read that the unfortunate man was part of the Synod from Cyrodiil, who had been tasked with bringing a Focusing Crystal to another one of the Synod who was waiting in the Oculory of the Dwarven ruin. The scribbles of the man seemed to suggest that Mzulft had been an observatory in the past. The Synod had been in search of the Staff of Magnus themselves and apparently the only place that would reveal its location was Mzulft.

Mjoll in the meantime, had tried the doors to the ruin. "Locked," she said, sounding thoroughly disappointed.

Anders searched the corpse again; finding a large ornate key, which he hoped opened the locked doors. He stood up and tried the key which slipped in, smiling when he heard the telltale click which meant the doors were now unlocked. He pushed them open and walked inside, Mjoll following quietly behind.

"Apparently these ruins were used as an observatory. The man who just died was bringing some kind of crystal to another man somewhere in the ruins. But the crystal is gone," Anders murmured as he looked down the darkened hallway that led further into the ruins.

"I guess the Falmer took it," Mjoll murmured. "He looked like he had been attacked by them."

Anders nodded. "We have to get that crystal and get to the Oculory. I'm on a mission to find a staff, and the Oculory is supposed to give me the exact location. It says in the journal that there is another member of his group there whose name is Paratus Decimus. The journal says he is locked inside, so the Falmer may not have gotten to him and he may still be alive."

Mjoll took the lead and Anders followed. Soon they came upon several Dwarven spiders and the battle began. Anders noticed instantly that Mjoll fought with a longsword and a shield, and although she was good, he missed Alessia's style of fighting. When the Dwarven Spiders lay on the floor in a heap of disassembled metal pieces, he cleared his throat and Mjoll turned to him, lifting an eyebrow.

"I really think we should try to sneak around as much as we can," Anders said. "That way we'll be able to ambush them and look for traps on the floors as we go along."

"Aye," Mjoll said smiling. "Those traps are deadly. I can disarm most of them, though. And I can tell you roughly where we are in the ruins. I've been to a number of them and also read a lot about them because when I was an adventurer, I used to explore Dwemer ruins a lot."

"That's good, then. We'll go slowly and we'll find the Focusing Crystal," Anders smiled back.

They passed dead Falmer along the way, and arrived to another set of doors. "These have a trap," Mjoll called out. "Let me see if I can disable it."

A short while later, Mjoll pushed the doors open and Anders could see a wooden scaffold some distance away. This area had overgrown plants growing around the walls, and the stone floors had disappeared entirely in some places, revealing brown earth and more plants. A clicking noise was heard up ahead and Mjoll warned Anders that it was a Chaurus or possibly two.

Anders immediately encased them in a protective arcane shield, his eyes scanning the plants around the wooden scaffold. A black Chaurus reared its ugly pincers, seemingly smelling the air before it, and Anders quickly cast a Winter's Grasp spell, encasing the creature in a sheet of ice. Mjoll advanced quickly and bashed it with her shield, and the insect shattered into small pieces. Another Chaurus nearby spit out some poison, but Mjoll used her shield to protect herself, while Anders quickly froze it also and Mjoll finished it off.

"By the way, I cast an arcane shield on the both of us. This means that the poison won't even touch you. It protects against fire, ice and lightning as well."

"I've never heard of magic like that before," Mjoll mused with a smile. "Where did you learn it?"

Anders grinned. "Let's just say I like to travel a lot."

Next to the scaffold was the body of another mage. Anders then looked at the wooden steps that led to the top of the scaffold. He climbed to the top, discovering a second corpse lying between two bedrolls. Several Falmer arrows protruded from the dead man's chest. He also found another journal and some gold septims in a backpack, which he pocketed. After reading the journal, he turned to Mjoll, who was standing next to him.

"Well, you're right," Anders said dryly. "The Falmer killed them."

"Or the Chauruses," Mjoll replied nodding. "If the Falmer took the crystal, then we'll need to look in every single chest we come across. There's no telling where they could have put it."

…

Alessia looked at the glowing blue orb that was emitting a humming sound and at the mages that were standing around it. Anders was not among them. She smiled at the Nord apprentice she kept bumping into.

"Hello! I'm looking for Anders?" She asked with a smile.

"The last time I saw him, it looked like he was heading to the Arcanaeum," the mage responded cheerfully. "You come here a lot! Are you sure you aren't thinking of joining?"

Alessia shook her head, a chuckle escaping her lips. She bade the mage goodbye and turned to open the door, climbing the spiral staircase that led to the vast library, with Bran and Serana following her close behind.

Urag gro-Shub was standing at his desk and smiled when he saw Alessia, recognizing her immediately.

"Hello," Alessia grinned. "I was wondering if you've seen Anders around here." Her eyes darted around the room, but the library was empty.

"He's gone off to Mzulft as far as I know. Something to do with finding a staff," Urag promptly answered.

Alessia took out the spell tome Sorine had given her and put it on the desk in front of the Orc librarian whose eyes widened when he saw it.

"A Sun Fire spell tome!" He exclaimed his voice slightly strangled with excitement. "Where did you get this?"

Alessia had considered leaving the tome with Urag, so he could give it to Anders, but now she hesitated. The hungry look on the orc's face told her that he might 'forget' to tell Anders about the book altogether, preferring to keep it in his library instead.

"Oh, umm," Alessia chuckled. "I wanted to…umm…speak to him urgently." She picked up the book and put it back into her backpack. The orc sighed, the disappointment on his face making Alessia grin.

"That book would be a great addition to our library," Urag hurried to say. "Could I buy it from you?"

"I'm sorry. This copy isn't for sale," Alessia replied. "But I know where to get another one. I'll bring it to you the next time I come here."

Urag's face lit up and Alessia chuckled again. "That would be fine," he said nodding.

"Could you tell Anders that I came looking for him, please?" Alessia said. "Maybe he can visit me if he has time. I'll probably be in Riften or at Fort Dawnguard."

Alessia heard the sharp intake of Serana's breath behind her and she smiled inwardly.

"Sure, I'll let him know! No problem!" Urag said cheerfully.

…

Anders had a frown on his face as they paused to catch their breaths at the entrance to one of the many rooms in Mzulft.

"Those doors must lead to the Boilery. I'm sure of it," Mjoll said, pointing to the double golden doors ahead. "It must be teeming with Falmer, just like the rest of the areas we've been through."

"And where does the Boilery lead to? Do you know?" Anders asked as he opened a chest and looked inside.

"Possibly to the aedrome, since this used to be an observatory," Mjoll replied advancing to the double doors. "We will probably encounter Falmer bosses here, because we haven't so far."

Anders took the gold and precious gems he had found in the chest and put them in his backpack. So far he had found no crystal of any kind in any of the chests they had come across.

"Maybe the Falmer bosses have the Focusing Crystal?" Anders wondered.

"Maybe," Mjoll replied, smiling at him. "Are you ready to go inside?"

"Let me just put up an arcane shield for us. I'll nod when I'm ready," Anders replied.

Mjoll felt the energy envelop her and smiled to herself. That spell had protected them from the poisonous Chauruses and Frostbite spiders very well so far. She kept her eyes on Anders and opened the doors when he nodded.

The vast area they were in had several large chambers with stone stairs leading to them, and some corridors leading away from the central chamber. The Falmer were patrolling the area, and one of them turned its blind eyes towards the direction they were standing.

Anders immediately cast a sleeping spell on all the visible Falmer, and Mjoll quickly attacked, managing to kill a few of them. There were others that arrived, however, and Anders cast a Tempest spell that had all of them jerking around for a few minutes, giving Mjoll enough time to continue her assault on the creatures. He immediately continued with a Cone of Cold spell, freezing two others and ran to the right side of the room to get a better view of any other Falmer coming from that direction.

When the battle was over, they got busy looting the bodies. Anders called out to Mjoll and held up a blue-green crystal he had found on one of the dead Falmer which had also been carrying a powerful Paralysis staff. "I think I found the crystal, Mjoll."

"Excellent!" Mjoll exclaimed as she walked towards Anders. "Now we just have to climb the stairs leading upwards. The Oculory will have to be on the top of the whole ruin, since it is used to study the stars and sky."

As they climbed the stairs to a landing, one of the Dwarven Centurions – a massive golden machine that looked like a metal armored giant awoke, and stepped slowly forward. Steam came out of an opening in its helm and Mjoll quickly moved out of the way.

"Use all the ice spells you know, " Mjoll called out to Anders. "It will slow it down even more!"

Anders quickly flung a Winter's grasp spell on the gigantic human-like machine, and it froze. Mjoll took advantage of this and attacked with her sword, dislodging some screws that flew out and fell to the stone ground with a musical tinkling sound. She continued to hack away at the Centurion, using her sword and shield, until it broke free of its icy prison. Anders, however, was ready for this, and flung a Cone of Cold spell on it, and the monstrous automaton froze again. This time, Mjoll succeeded in dislodging one of its great forearms, and it clanked noisily to the stone floor.

The fight went on until the giant mechanical guardian fell to its knees, and stopped, several of its parts now lying on the stone floor around it. Anders smiled as he walked forward, looking around to see if the construct had anything worth pocketing. He found a key and took it, thinking that it could come in handy on their way out.

They continued climbing the stone steps, until they reached a stone ramp. They followed the ramp, and arrived at a locked door. Several Falmer corpses lay on the floor before them. Anders stepped forward and tried the latch.

"Gavros? Is that you?" A quavering voice was heard coming from the other side. "I was worried the Falmer had gotten you!"

Anders was about to reply, but the voice continued on. "I locked myself inside after I managed to kill some of them. I'll open the door for you, just a moment!"

The huge door slowly opened and the man who had spoken to them, who was obviously another member of the Synod, was taken aback.

"Who are you and what are you doing here? Where is Gavros?"

"We found Gavros at the entrance," Anders quickly replied. "Several Falmer arrows were embedded in his chest and he died as soon as we got to him. I'm sorry."

"Damned vermin!" the man spat out. "Well, you have come to the wrong place. I have no patience in listening to strangers. And without a Focusing Crystal, I cannot finish my work here!"

At these words, Anders took the crystal from his backpack, lifting it so that the man could see it. "You mean this?" he asked with a smile.

…

Alessia peered into the darkness. They had arrived at the secret entrance to the undercroft of the castle, where three armored skeletons had attacked them. She thought they had gotten Serana, but she had merely become invisible and reappeared in a different spot, enveloping one of the skeletons with an ice spell. Bran had rushed to the one farthest to them, and leapt on it, sending it flying to the wall where it shattered. The fight hadn't lasted for very long, and soon they were inside the dark forgotten wing of the castle, which had been sealed off from the rest of the place by Serana's father.

Bran bristled beside her and she knew then that the sensation of being watched wasn't just her imagination. She thanked the gods she had her night eye ring, because she made out the movements just in time and avoided being bitten by the figure that jumped towards her, screaming obscenities.

The vampire died instantly, as Alessia cut off its head and Bran whined, looking behind him. Alessia quickly hissed at Serana to watch out, but the Dread Hounds had already attacked.

The massive creatures ripped part of Serana's robe, and she jumped backwards, encasing them in ice as she quickly used a Drain Health spell immediately afterwards. Bran leapt to one of the hound's throats, tearing it open. When the battle was over, they paused to assess their wounds and catch their breaths.

Alessia cupped one of her hands and poured some of the healing potion she was drinking into her hand for Bran to lap up, while Serana's glowing eyes gazed into the dark corridor ahead.

"That vampire was feral. How long has he been living here?" Serana whispered, shaking her head. "My father probably banished him here before he sealed off the entrance to this part of the castle."

Alessia did not reply, but stood up and stretched. She was exhausted from the trip to the castle and the two battles they had just been through but did not complain. Serana, however, spotted this.

"We will rest for a moment," she suggested, her worried eyes on Alessia. This place is huge, and we won't be able to do much if we are tired."

Alessia shook her head. "I don't want to sleep in here," she said firmly, shuddering as the echoes of her nightmare stirred at the back of her mind. "We'll press on for now, alright?"

"As you wish," Serana replied in a low voice.

They advanced further into the darkness, coming upon a bridge.

"We won't be able to cross it right now. This bridge is trapped to Oblivion. We'll have to find the switch that disables the traps." Serana then pointed to a back corridor leading to another area. "The switch is probably around that area. Be careful, we don't know what monsters inhabit this place," Serana hissed.

Alessia did not reply. The room beyond was covered in thick webs and she knew that they were heading towards a Frostbite spider's lair even before they arrived there. She readied her daggers and crouched, stealthily advancing slowly through the webs.

The Giant Frostbite spider had spotted her, however, and attacked, but it had not seen Bran. The dog attacked it, putting itself between its mistress and the creature and catching it off-guard. This gave Alessia the opportunity to hack at its abdomen, and Serana immediately froze it solid. Alessia delivered the death blow moments later. She knelt to inspect her dog for wounds, but he wagged his tail and gave a sharp bark and she knew he was fine.

"Look! There's a lever back there!" Serana cried out excitedly.

Alessia pulled the lever and they heard a swishing noise coming from the bridge.

"We're all set!" Serana smiled. "Let's go!"

…

Alessia opened her eyes, waking from a restful sleep. They had so far fought skeletons and gargoyles that had come to life when they approached and she had finally agreed to rest before they continued once the room they were in was safe. She was surprised she had fallen asleep almost instantly, but had had no nightmares. She stretched looking around. Bran lifted his head and wagged his tale and she smiled.

"He watched over you and hardly slept at all," Serana said with a smile.

Alessia smiled back. "I hope we find your mother's study soon. I feel like we've been here forever."

"There's a door up there. I'm sure we're close. I can feel it."

"How do you feel about the way your father destroyed your mother's garden?" Alessia asked and Serana frowned.

"Not happy about it at all. I never imagined he would destroy it that way. Fortunately, you managed to find the missing pieces of the moondial in the center of the garden. We would have never been able to reach this area if you hadn't," Serana said quietly. "Like I told you before, that garden was beautiful once."

"Well, let's see where that door leads to," Alessia said after she drank some water.

She walked over and opened it, peering into the darkness. Here and there she could make out gargoyle statues littering the floor. She shook her head, turning to Serana.

"Gargoyles," she said in a low voice. "Get ready for a fight."

As she approached the first one, it broke from the stone encasing it and screeched. Alessia quickly slashed at its vulnerable spot below the chest, and the monster went down. She advanced to the next one which burst out of its shell as the other one had. There were six other gargoyles and they fought each one as it woke.

When they had successfully killed every gargoyle in the room, they looked around and took in their surroundings. Alessia searched the cupboards and chests, pocketing the coin and trinkets she found.

"This can't be a dead end," Serana said. "There must be something!"

"A secret door, you mean?" Alessia asked.

"Yes. Let's keep looking!"

Alessia walked towards the end of the room, which had a large fireplace that covered nearly the entire wall. There was a candle stick on the right side of the fireplace, but Alessia's eyes were drawn to the one on the left side. It only had one candle, whereas the one on the right had three. She grabbed the ornate stick and to her surprise managed to turn it to the left. The wall next to the fireplace opened, revealing the hidden entrance they had been looking for.

"Finally! My mother's study will be at the end of this corridor!" Serana exclaimed with a smile. Alessia smiled back and they reached a door that Serana opened eagerly.

The area beyond lit up with magical candles and they found themselves in a large room, full of alchemical ingredients on tables, with a group of round circular stone rings in the center.

"Look at this place!" Serana exclaimed, walking around. "I know she was deep into necromancy. I mean, she taught me everything I know. But I had no idea she had a setup like this!"

Alessia was dumbfounded as well. Every single ingredient that she could think of was in this room, as well as exotic, rare ingredients she thought did not exist. She smiled as she went from table to table, to the cupboards, and inspected each and every one.

"Look at all these ingredients!" Serana continued talking. "She must have spent years collecting all of them! And what is this thing?" she asked as she stood in front of the circle in the middle of the room. "I'm not sure about this circle at all. It's obviously something. An entrance to another room, perhaps? Let's take a look around. There has to be something here that will tell us where she has gone."

Alessia grabbed Serana's arm before she could walk away. "Look," she said in a soft tone. "I'm really sorry about what happened as we were leaving the fort." Serana did not say anything, but her glowing eyes seemed to smile at Alessia. "I was completely out of line and should not have done what I did. I – I miss him…"

Serana nodded as she smiled. "I understand. You don't have to apologize."

"I do, actually. And I would feel better if you –"

"Already have," Serana hurried to say, nodding. "Besides, I shouldn't have teased you about it. It was uncalled for and I'm sorry, too."

Alessia smiled, squeezing her hand, then turned and continued to search.

"What are we looking for exactly?" she asked after a few moments.

"My mother must have kept a journal somewhere," Serana replied.

After a few moments, Bran yawned and sat on the floor. Alessia smiled at him. "You can sleep if you want to. You have to rest too, you know…"

The dog wagged its tail once and Alessia chuckled as Bran lay down, stretching before he fell asleep. The shelves of books were scattered here and there, and it was tedious looking through each and every one of them, but Alessia was enjoying herself. Serana had found an Alchemy table in a far corner of the study and was making some healing potions when Alessia walked up to her.

"When did you become a vampire?" Alessia asked, catching Serana off-guard.

"A very long time ago. My parents worshipped Molag Bal, the Lord of Domination. You know about him, don't you?"

"I only know he is a Daedric Prince, but little else," Alessia replied.

"He is the Master of Corruption and the King of Rape. The three of us submitted ourselves to him and performed a ritual. It was…not a pretty experience. We survived it and became vampires. I – I don't want to talk about the what we went through - it was very unpleasant."

"I understand," Alessia murmured. "I'm sorry to have brought it up, but I felt curious."

"It's alright," Serana hurried to say, giving Alessia a quick smile.

Alessia turned to continue her search and walked off to the other side of the room, while Serana fixed her eyes on her, battling a surge of emotion that was threatening to overcome her. She tried to busy herself with the healing potions she had been making before Alessia had interrupted her but could not. There was no way to deny it any longer…

She had fallen in love.

…


	26. Chapter 26

_**Thank you SO much for the awesome reviews: PheonRen, CouslandSpitFire, KnightOfHolyLight, Graymalkyn and MB18932! Reviews make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :D I would also like to thank the people who have put this fic in their list of favorites and those that are now following it! :D **_

_**As usual, our disclaimer: Bethesda and Bioware own! :D **_

Chapter 26

Anders quickened his pace as soon as the College of Winterhold came into view. The vision he had just had back in Mzulft after they had discovered the location of the staff had put him on the edge; he could still see Nerien – the Psijic mage who had first appeared to him in Saarthal – warning him that the college was in danger, and he should travel there immediately.

Mjoll hurried behind Anders, finally catching up to him again. She managed to grab his arm and he turned to face her, his brow furrowed.

"I don't have time to chat," Anders quickly said as he shook his head.

"I think you need some rest!" Mjoll blurted out. "You say a Psijic mage appeared to you back there in Mzulft, but I never saw him!"

"I said I don't have time!" Anders replied, his voice raising an octave. "Look, if you want to follow, follow. If you can't keep up, I'll meet you at the inn."

Mjoll's eyes narrowed instantly and her breathing hitched slightly. Anders sighed at this.

"I don't want to fight or offend you, but I can't do this right now." Turning, he resumed his brisk walk, sprinting into a run when he reached the stone ramp that led to the bridge.

Mjoll stood there for a few moments unable to decide whether to stop at the inn, or follow Anders to the college. She frowned and threw up her hands in the air in desperation, then ran after him.

…

Anders opened the double doors that led to the foyer and stopped still in his tracks. In front of him, Arch- Mage Savos Aren and Mirabelle Evans were trying to dispel what looked like a ward of some kind that was barring their entrance to the Hall of Elements. Arch-Mage Savos whirled around, his face breaking into a smile as soon as he saw that it was Anders.

"You've returned! Gods be praised!" Savos sighed.

"What's happened here?" Anders shot out, his eyes wide with shock.

"Ancano. He's in there with the orb, casting some kind of spell on it," the Arch-Mage hurried to say. "We must dispel this barrier to get inside!"

"I'm sure the barrier is all Ancano's doing," Mirabelle muttered.

Anders nodded. "Let's bring it down," he said quietly, just as Mjoll appeared in the foyer. "Stay back!" he called out to Mjoll. "Wait for me outside!"

Mjoll nodded and did as she was told. The magic was so powerful and strong in that area that it frightened her. And that was saying something, for she was rarely frightened. She went back out into the courtyard, standing among the rest of the mages who were whispering to each other in worried tones.

"What's going on in there?" Faralda asked Mjoll who shook her head.

"Is it any wonder this is happening? Magic is extremely dangerous. You should know that, shouldn't you?" Mjoll replied in a cold and haughty voice.

Faralda's eyes narrowed and she frowned, shaking her head. She turned to look at the great doors to the foyer which were now pulsating with a strange energy. In a few moments something that looked like a wisp passed through the doors and zoomed off towards the great gates at the entrance to the college proper.

"What in Oblivion was _that_?" Colette exclaimed, sharing a glance with Tolfdir, who shook his head.

"Whatever it is, it's heading straight for Winterhold! We must protect the town!" Tolfdir exclaimed.

…

It took some time to look through all of the books among the shelves dominating one wall of the secret room in Castle Volkihar, but Alessia finally stumbled upon a red bound journal and opened it. _'Harkon's shortsightedness is becoming a serious problem. I've warned him time and time again that his foolish prophecy would cast far too much light on our people and yet he refuses to so much listen to a word I say. I've become less a wife and more of an annoyance in his eyes. Devoting attention to my work is the only solace I can find while enduring his ridiculous crusade.'_ Alessia excitedly hopped up from the chair she was in and crossed the room to Serana. "I think I've found it!"

Serana took the journal and leafed through it. "Yes, this is Valerica's journal," she mumbled as she skimmed the pages. "Ah, here we go…she writes what is needed to open the Soul Cairn, but doesn't give the amounts. Hopefully we'll get this right. We need soul gem shards, purified void salts and finely ground bonemeal…oh. Dammit."

"What's wrong?"

"We're also going to need a sample of her blood. Which…if we could get that, we wouldn't be doing this," Serana said, a forlorn look on her face.

Alessia thought for a moment, and then grinned. "You share her blood, Serana."

The vampire's face lit up with a smile. "Very good! Let's just hope that's enough. Mistakes with portals like these can be…gruesome."

"I'm sure the ingredients are here," Alessia said as she rummaged through a shelf of flowers and mushrooms. "In the meantime…what's the Soul Cairn?"

"I only know what she told me. She had a theory about soul gems, that the souls inside of them don't just vanish when they're used…they end up in the Soul Cairn. It's the home of very powerful beings called the Ideal Masters. They grant special powers to necromancers in exchange for souls. My mother spent a lot of time trying to contact them directly in order to travel to the Soul cairn itself," Serana replied.

Alessia smiled and handed her a bowl of gem shards. "Here's one of the ingredients we need. If she made it there, so will we." After a short time of searching, they found the other two ingredients and made their way to a balcony of sorts, which overlooked the circles on the floor below. Alessia dumped the reagents into a silver bowl and stepped back, looking at Serana expectantly.

"Well, I guess the rest is up to me," she murmured. "Are you ready to go? I'm not sure what this thing's going to do when I add my blood."

Alessia nodded and Bran barked excitedly. "I'm sorry boy, but I don't think you can come with us," she said, then comforted her new friend when he whined sadly. "I'll be okay, I promise." She turned back to Serana thoughtfully. "Can I ask you something first?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"What will you do if we find your mother?"

The vampire's face fell. "I've been asking myself the same thing ever since we got here. She was so sure about what we did to my father, I couldn't help but go along. I didn't think of the cost."

Alessia squeezed her hand affectionately. "It sounds to me like she did everything she could to keep you safe."

Serana looked at their joined hands, a small smile on her face. "I guess even a vampire is still a mother. She worried about me. About all of us. But she wanted to get me as far away from my father as possible before he really went over the edge. I…didn't expect anyone to care how I felt about her. Thank you."

"Don't thank me for caring, Serana," Alessia smiled and gave her hand another squeeze. "Let's see if this works."

"Alright, here we go." Serana reluctantly let go of Alessia's hand and stepped over to the silver bowl. She raised her hand to her mouth and ripped open the flesh of her wrist with a fang, letting the blood run into the bowl. The ground beneath them rumbled, a purple light seeping between the circles on the floor far below them as they began to spin. The stones seemed to break apart, the light growing brighter as they separated, forming a staircase leading from the balcony to a swirling portal where the floor had been.

Alessia unsheathed a dagger and descended the stairs, but as she neared the entrance into the Soul Cairn, it seemed the bright purple light seared through her body - every nerve ending aflame and leeching the life from her. She screamed in pain as her knees started to buckle. She felt Serana's arms encircle her waist and the vampire heaved her back up to the balcony, the two falling into a heap.

"Are you alright?" Serana asked, her voice trembling with fear as she held Alessia, brushing the bright red hair from the thief's face. Though Alessia was deathly pale, the vampire could feel her heart still beating.

After a moment, Alessia opened her eyes weakly and groaned. "I…think so. Just give me a minute." Serana nodded, but Alessia saw the worry etching her face. "Really, I'll be fine." She disentangled herself from Serana and dug around in her pack for health and stamina potions. "What just happened?"

Serana thought for a moment, then gasped. "I'm so sorry, Alessia! I didn't even think about it. It's all my fault you were hurt!" Alessia shook her head and patted the woman's arm as she downed her potions. "It's…hard to describe. The Soul Cairn is…well, _hungry_ for lack of a better word. It's trying to take your life essence as payment for entering. I'm so, so sorry."

Alessia grimaced as she downed the last dredges of potion. "It's okay, Serana. I'm not angry. So…I guess there's no way in?"

Serana wrung her hands nervously. "There might be, but…I don't think you'll like it." When Alessia just quirked an eyebrow, she continued. "Vampires aren't counted among the living. I could possibly go through the portal just fine…"

"No," Alessia said, shaking her head. "Becoming a vampire isn't an option. You don't know, do you?"

Serana's worried look changed to a confused one. "Don't know?" she echoed.

"When I delivered you to your father…something happened. Your father banished me, but he also invaded my brain, trying to convince me at all costs to accept his 'gift'. It was a horrible nightmare for me, and the fear I felt nearly drove me insane. I couldn't sleep and I kept on having the same nightmare. Anders cured me." Alessia shuddered and she looked even paler than she had before.

"I'm so sorry," Serana murmured sadly. "I wish I could have protected you…"

"Yes, I know that now," Alessia smiled. "I guess I don't have to tell you I won't ever become a vampire. Not unless I can help it."

"I wouldn't want to damn you to this existence anyway. You deserve better," Serana said truthfully, but felt a pang of sadness nonetheless. Eternity would be so much brighter if it were shared with her. "There may be another way. It wants a soul so we give it a soul. Yours." She placated Alessia's protests and continued. "My mother taught me a thing or two. I could partially soul trap you and offer that gem to the Ideal Masters. It might be enough to satisfy them. It will make you a bit weaker as we travel the Soul Cairn, but I should be able to fix that once we're in there. I'm sorry. I wish I knew a better way. Just know that whatever you choose to do, I won't think any less of you."

_But Anders will._ Alessia sighed. "I guess it really isn't a choice, then. Do what you have to do to soul trap me."

The two women stood up, and Serana grabbed Alessia's hand again. "I know this is difficult for you. I hope you trust me. I'd never do anything that could hurt you."

Alessia just smiled at her. "I trust you completely, Serana."

Serana closed her eyes briefly. "Thank you. I promise to make this as painless as possible."

Alessia only had time to notice Serana's hand glowing before a bright light shot from it and the edges of her vision seemed to melt to black.

…

Anders came to and rubbed his forehead. For a few moments he couldn't remember what he was doing in the Hall of the Elements or why he was on the ground, but after a few seconds his mind cleared a bit and he half crawled over to where Mirabelle was sitting, her back against one of the stone columns. She was looking very pale and when her eyes met his, he could see she was in a great deal of pain.

"Are you alright?" He hurried to ask her.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," Mirabelle murmured a wry smile on her face.

Anders quickly lifted his hands over her, a deep golden glow enveloping her. After a few minutes, Mirabelle smiled at him. "You are an exceptional healer," she murmured.

Anders gave her a quick smile, then looked back at the orb which was pulsating angrily. Ancano was still feeding it with his spell and he frowned, turning to Mirabelle again. "What happened?" he asked. "I only remember something like an explosion then nothing…Wait a minute! Where is Savos?"

Mirabelle sighed deeply. "I wish I knew! We must find him! "

Anders helped her up and she swayed a little but he caught her by the shoulders. "Easy, there. Take it slowly."

"I'm fine," Mirabelle protested, then head to the foyer. "We must find the Arch-Mage!"

Anders followed her outside into the courtyard. Savos Aren was lying on the stone path ahead, his eyes wide-open looking at nothing. He was dead.

Mirabelle cursed Ancano and shook her head sadly. At that moment, Tolfdir ran up to Anders.

"The whole town of Winterhold seems to be under attack! Magical anomalies are in there right now, hurting the people!"

Faralda turned to Anders. "We must save the people of Winterhold!"

Anders nodded, just as Tolfdir asked Mirabelle what had happened. He left them talking and walked down the stone path in the courtyard to the bridge and ramp leading down to the town, Faralda following him. Mjoll fell into step beside him.

"We're going to kill those things, yes?"

"Yes," Anders replied. "And after we do, we'll go to Labyrinthian for the staff. That staff is the only thing that will stop the orb from whatever it is that it is doing."

"And then?"

"And then, I'm going to kill Ancano," Anders replied, his eyes flashing blue.

…

The Soul Cairn shocked Alessia a lot more than she thought it would. Once they entered the realm, she stood still for five minutes gazing around the whole place, which proved to be enormous. Everything was infused with purple, blue and pink lights. Looking upwards into the dark purple sky, she saw a black hole in the middle, while several wisps flew around lazily, filling the whole area with whooshing sounds as they passed. Lightning zigzagged the dark sky and struck every now and then, rumbling thunder heralding its approach. Alessia found herself looking at the dark, foreboding buildings that dotted the entire landscape. How would they ever find Serana's mother in such a huge place?

"We'll have to look inside the buildings as well. There is no telling where she could be," Serana voiced her thoughts, her orange-crimson eyes glinting in the half-light. "How are you feeling now?"

"I'm fine," Alessia replied her eyes focused on the building on their right. She could see a gate of some kind which prevented them from walking into the structure. Her gaze lingered on the gate for a few more minutes, but then she scanned the rest of the building. There were two columns on each side, with a hole on top and the hole was glowing green. She took her bow and nocked an arrow. Her aim was perfect and as soon as the arrow went through the hole, the green light disappeared and part of the gate was lowered. Smiling, she nocked a second arrow, aiming for the other column. The light went out as well, and the gate opened completely.

"Clever," Serana smiled behind her.

The building was small, and contained a chest with soul gems and a steel greatsword. Alessia put the soul gems in her pack and they left that building and walked down a dirt path that disappeared into the darkness.

"Well, mother wasn't in there," Serana muttered.

"One building down, hundreds more to go!" Alessia replied with a grin.

…

Soon they ran into skeletons that attacked them. Fighting their way around the vast area, while searching for Serana's mother was a bit challenging. Alessia found that she had to stop to catch her breath a lot more than back in Tamriel. She concluded it must be because she had been partially soul-trapped.

"How can I get my soul back?" She gasped after one of their battles. "I'd welcome a bit more stamina right now."

She dug into her pack for a potion, and Serana shook her head. "Sorry about that. It could be in a chest anywhere. I have no idea where the Ideal Masters would keep it, but I think my mother would know."

One of the souls wandering around the place suddenly materialized before them, crying out a name.

"Arvak! Where are you?" The ghost wailed and stopped when he saw Alessia. "You! Help me find Arvak, I beg you!"

"Who is Arvak?" Alessia asked.

"He's my horse. He was so frightened when we got here that he ran away! I need to find him to calm him down. Please help me!"

"How can I help you?" Alessia wondered. If the horse was a ghost horse, she doubted she could catch it.

"You must find his skull. If you give it to me, he'll be back and safe," the ghost replied in mournful tones.

"I'll keep an eye out," Alessia promised.

They resumed their walk, while the distraught ghost continued to pace around, yelling the name of his beloved horse.

…

Anders wiped his brow as he observed the snowy ground, now dotted here and there with the essence of the magical anomalies they had just finished destroying. The town of Winterhold was once again safe, and it was time to return to the courtyard of the college to speak to Mirabelle about what he had to do.

"Mirabelle," Anders said quietly when they arrived at the courtyard. "I'm off to get the Staff of Magnus. It's the only thing that will stop the orb."

"Yes, of course," Mirabelle sighed. "You did discover where it was then?"

Anders nodded. "It's in Labyrinthian."

Mirabelle's eyebrows shot up to her hairline and her eyes widened slightly. "Labyrinthian? Are you sure?"

"Yes," Anders replied slowly, a puzzled look on his face.

"The Arch-Mage. He...he gave me this and told me to hold onto it," Mirabelle hastened to explain, holding out an object. "He said it was for Labyrinthian. I think…I think he meant it for you…"

Anders took the object and nodded, putting it away in his pack. "I'm sure it will come in handy," he murmured.

"Take this as well. It belonged to Savos, but I'm sure it will serve you well. It is an amulet that grants you extra magicka," Mirabelle said softly, handing him the amulet. "Go and bring that staff. In the meantime, Tolfdir and I will try to see if we can do anything about the Hall of the Elements,"

Anders nodded and turned to leave, waving good bye to the rest of the mages. His heart felt heavy and his thoughts immediately went to Alessia. Wherever she was, he hoped she was safe. He missed her terribly and the pain of being away from her kept him from sleeping soundly at night. He sighed and shook his head as they arrived at the stables, where they both got on their horses and left.

…

They finally found Valerica in one of the buildings at the very end of the Soul Cairn. She was shocked when she saw her daughter standing there. She was also trapped inside the building, for there was a pinkish wall of mist surrounding the whole place which created a barrier, making it impossible for her to leave or for anyone to enter.

"Mother!" Serana called out. There was some movement within the structure and a woman dressed in vampire armor hurried to the misty wall that imprisoned her, a look of unbelief on her face.

"Serana? Maker! It can't be! Is it really you? What are you doing here? Where is your father?"

Serana put her palms against the misty wall, pushing it, but nothing happened. "How do we get inside? We have to talk! Father doesn't know you're here. I don't have time to explain…"

"I must have failed, then," Valerica said sadly. "Harkon's found a way to decipher the prophecy, hasn't he?"

"No, you've got it all wrong, mother. We're here to stop him…to make everything right."

At that moment Valerica took a better look at what at first she had mistaken for a shadow and was taken aback.

"Wait a moment! You've brought a stranger here? Have you lost your mind?" Valerica exclaimed, her eyes flashing angrily.

"No, you don't –"Serana began to say, but Valerica held up a hand and took a step forward until she was against the misty wall and directly in front of Alessia, her eyes flashing angrily.

"I would speak with you," Valerica said quietly. She seemed to sniff the air around her and her angry eyes made Alessia take a step back. "You! You are a vampire hunter!" the vampire exclaimed, shaking her head. "What are you doing with my daughter? If you are travelling with her only because you want to hunt me down…"

"No," said Alessia calmly. "I want to keep Serana safe."

Whether Alessia's words calmed Valerica or not, it was impossible to say, but she glanced at Serana who had a pleading look on her face and turned back to Alessia, her countenance much calmer than it had been before. "Coming from one who murders vampires as a trade, I find it hard to believe your intentions are noble," Valerica murmured.

"She is the Dragonborn, Mother," Serana managed to say quickly, before Alessia had a chance to speak up.

Valerica's eyes widened slightly. "Dragonborn…" she murmured her gaze on Alessia once again.

"A gift from Akatosh, apparently," Alessia said softly. "I am no vampire hunter by trade."

"Serana has sacrificed everything to prevent Harkon from completing the prophecy. I would have expected her to explain that to you," Valerica glanced at her daughter briefly.

"That's why I'm here for the Elder Scroll," Alessia shot back evenly.

"You think I'd have the audacity to place my own daughter in that tomb for the protection of the Elder Scroll alone? The scrolls are merely a means to an end. The real key to the prophecy of the Tyranny of the Sun is Serana herself!" Valerica exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Alessia asked.

Valerica sighed and started to pace along the length of the misty wall. "When I fled Castle Volkihar, I fled with two Elder Scrolls. The scroll you found with Serana speaks of Auriel and his arcane weapon, Auriel's Bow. The second scroll declares that 'The Blood of a Coldharbour's Daughter will blind the eye of the Dragon'."

"And just how does Serana fit into that?" Alessia inquired curiously.

Valerica sighed and stepped up to stand directly in front of Alessia. "Like myself, Serana was human once. We were devout followers of Lord Molag Bal." Her eyes grew sad. "Tradition dictated that the females be offered to Molag Bal on his summoning day. Few survive the ordeal. Those that do emerge as pure-blooded vampires. We call such confluences the 'Daughters of Coldharbour.'"

"You mean…the Tyranny of the Sun requires Serana's blood?" Alessia asked, the horror in her eyes apparent as she caught on to what Valerica was explaining.

Valerica nodded, the sadness on her face pulling at Alessia's heart strings. "Now you're beginning to see why I wanted to protect Serana, and why I've kept the other Elder Scroll as far from her as possible…"

"Then," Alessia said in a daze, "Harkon means to kill her!"

Valerica nodded her eyes on the stone floor for a few moments. "If Harkon obtained Auriel's Bow and Serana's blood was used to taint the weapon, the Tyranny of the Sun would be complete. In his eyes, she would be dying for the good of all vampires."

Alessia shook her head. "I would never allow that to happen," she said firmly.

"And how exactly do you plan on stopping him?" Valerica asked with a half-smile on her face.

"I'll kill Harkon," Alessia replied simply, looking directly at Valerica who chuckled.

"If you believe that, then you are a bigger fool than I originally suspected. Don't you think I weighed that option before I enacted my plans?"

"And what of Serana's opinion in all this? Doesn't she have a say?" Alessia countered angrily.

"You care nothing for Serana or our plight!" Valerica hissed back. "You're still a vampire hunter even if you are the Dragonborn. You're here because we're abominations in your mind. Evil creatures that need to be destroyed!"

"Serana believes in me, why won't you?" Alessia flung back at Valerica, exchanging a glace with Serana.

Valerica turned to her daughter. "This stranger aligns herself with those that would hunt you down and slay you like an animal, yet I should entrust you to her?"

"This 'stranger' has done more for me in the brief time I've known her than you've done in centuries!" Serana exclaimed, stepping closer to Alessia.

"How dare you!" Valerica snarled. "I gave up everything I cared about to protect you from that fanatic you call a father!"

"Yes, he's a fanatic. He's…changed. But he's still my father! Why can't you understand how that makes me feel?" Serana argued.

"Oh, Serana. If you'd only open your eyes…" Valerica whispered sadly. "The moment your father discovers your role in the prophecy, that he needs your blood, you'd be in terrible danger!"

"So to protect me you decided to shut me away from everything I cared about? You just never asked me if hiding me in that tomb was the best course of action…you just expected me to follow you blindly? Both of you were obsessed with your own paths. Your motivations might have been different, but in the end, I'm still just a pawn to you, too." Serana's voice became a whisper, but it was loud enough for both Valerica and Alessia to hear. "I want us to be a family again. But I don't know if we can every have that. Maybe we don't deserve that kind of happiness. Maybe it isn't for us."

Valerica looked at her daughter sadly. "I'm so sorry, Serana. I never realized that you felt that way."

Serana frowned, her brow furrowed. "I am still a person. I have feelings…"

"I – I didn't know you felt that way…I didn't see…" Valerica said mournfully. "I've allowed my hatred of your father to estrange us far too long. Forgive me."

Serana placed her hand against the misty wall, and Valerica did the same. There were tears in both their eyes and Alessia could feel the tears threatening to fall for her as well.

After a few moments, Valerica straightened and gave them both a smile. "If you want the Elder Scroll, it's yours." She then turned to Alessia and eyed her curiously. "Your intentions are still somewhat unclear to me. But for Serana's sake, I'll assist you in any way I can."

"Do you have the Elder Scroll here with you?" Alessia asked.

"I do," Valerica replied. "But the problem here is not whether or not I have the Elder Scroll. As you may have noticed, I am imprisoned here. There is no way the Elder Scroll can pass through this barrier."

"Then what can we do to free you?" Alessia asked.

Valerica nodded. "I'll tell you how, but it will not be pretty. And it will be extremely dangerous."

"I like danger," Alessia smiled. "In fact, I strive on it. It makes life far more interesting."

…


	27. Chapter 27

_**So, Fanfiction decided to pull my leg. The day I uploaded Chapter 26, the notifications didn't work! *rolls eyes* I'm guessing some of you didn't get any so you didn't know I uploaded, but I'm hoping and guessing it's fine today. **__** Thanks so much PheonRen, KnightOfHolyLight and CouslandSpitFire for your awesome reviews! Also want to thank my friend Shinkshinkshink for all her help and also for all you Anders lovers out there, she is writing a fantastic fic about him called 'Flash Bastard' - the link is on my profile! :D **_

_**Only a chapter or two for our heroes to see each other again, though it may not happen the way you want it to happen…lol. NO PROMISES, though. My memory is reeeeally bad, so don't know when exactly! :P **_

_**BIOWARE AND BETHESDA OWN EVERYTHING! :D **_

Chapter 27

Anders wiped the sweat from his brow. So far they had entered Labyrinthian and battled a skeletal dragon along with a horde of skeletons. He had seen the ghostly figures of Savos Aren and his fellow mages in the place as well. This time Mjoll had seen the apparitions and listened to their conversations, too. But now as they advanced deeper into the Nordic ruin, they had encountered a voice that had spoken in the dragon language and Anders had felt his mana being drained completely which had caused him to stumble and fall, breaking into a cold sweat.

"What is it?" Mjoll asked in a worried tone. "Are you hurt?"

Anders gasped as Mjoll took his arm and helped him up, a worried frown on her face.

"That voice just now…it…it drained my mana…" Anders replied, digging into his pack for a potion.

"Mana? What is mana?" Mjoll shot back at him.

Anders nearly hit himself. "Oh! I…I meant magicka, of course." He downed the potion and managed a shaky smile. Close to total exhaustion, he peered into the darkness. There was a glow up ahead and it seemed to be coming from a door that was covered in ice. He used fire to get it to open, and then a spirit materialized and attack them.

"Oh, good…a fight! Just what I need to recuperate faster," Anders commented sarcastically.

Mjoll sliced through the spirit and it crumbled to ash when Anders hit it with a fireball. They continued to advance meeting some draugr along the way. Savos Aren's ghostly image and his group of spirit mages showed up again and once again they started to talk to each other showing their fear of the place and how it had so far managed to kill two of them. It was during this conversation that Anders had a revelation. These were not ordinary spirits. These were fragments of things that had come to pass here. Memories of past events, replaying in this Nordic ruin. So Aren had been here before? Then why hadn't he mentioned that?

Anders turned to Mjoll and gave her a half-smile. She responded in kind, her eyes darting around, wary of her surroundings. "I spotted ghosts ahead. And draugr, too. Be on your guard!"

…

"Well, that's the third one," Alessia said quietly as she sheathed her daggers. She pocketed the soul gems the thing had dropped and turned to Serana, who smiled at her. They had finally succeeded in doing what Valerica said had to be done to free her and killed so many of the skeletal enemies, Alessia had lost count. She only knew that the creatures Valerica had asked them specifically to kill had been dangerous and deadly, but Serana and Alessia had planned their attacks, and this alone had kept them from getting killed. In spite of their victory, Alessia was exhausted.

"The barrier should be down by now. Do you remember where the building is?"

"No," Alessia replied truthfully. "But I'm not too worried. You can't really get lost here. It's far too open." Alessia turned to look at the vast landscape, squinting her eyes slightly as she swept her gaze along the very ends of the purple horizon.

"Well. All I know is that we came from that direction, so it's safe to say we have to go in that direction," Serana offered, shrugging and gesturing towards the general direction Alessia was looking at. "We haven't run into the dragon mother talked about. Do you think it will attack us before we can get our hands on the scroll?"

"I'm not really _that_ worried about a dragon. At least I know how to battle one," Alessia sighed. "But these creatures we have just finished off, I really thought we were going to fail. I've never felt so exhausted in my life!" She chugged her fourth stamina potion and shook her head.

They were silent the rest of the way back, lost in their thoughts. Alessia found herself thinking of Anders and she gave herself a mental shake trying to stop, but she found that she couldn't and sighed.

"You miss him," came Serana's quiet voice next to her. It was a statement, not a question, but Alessia nodded all the same.

"It doesn't matter how I feel," she murmured, her eyes set on a distant building at the far end of the Cairn. "We have to just get that damn bow and deal with your father…"

Serana said nothing to this, but a sigh escaped her full lips and when Alessia glanced at her she was frowning.

"I'm sorry. I know this is hard for you," she told the vampire. "How are you feeling?"

Serana shook her head. "It's all right. I know we have to kill him in the end. I – I've actually come to terms with that…"

Alessia stepped closer and took her hand. "I can't imagine what it must feel like – to actually have to kill a parent. But I'm here for you whenever you need a shoulder to cry on…"

Serana felt the emotion come at her like a tidal wave. She squeezed Alessia's hand and then quickly let go. It was wrong to feel this way about a mortal. Especially considering that she would live on once Alessia's life was over. She had to get a grip on herself…

"Ah, the building on top of that hill looks vaguely familiar," Alessia grinned. "Let's go get ourselves a scroll!"

…

Anders hit the dragon priest with an icy spell and the creature froze. Once both he and Mjoll had understood that the spirits of the two wizards that had been casting a spell on the monster needed to be vanquished first in order to properly kill it, they had done this and successfully freed the dragon priest from its prison. This also meant that their attacks now hurt it, and they continued to battle it, each hit and spell chipping away at its health. Anders tried not to think about what Savos Aren had done to the last two mages in the ghostly group that had appeared throughout their journey to the main chamber and fought for his dear life. In the end, when the creature went down with a terrible screech, he had shaken his head and leaned on the staff he had taken from it, his eyes troubled.

Mjoll did not question the sad look on his face and stepped towards the ash pile the foul creature had left. There was a mask there, and Anders picked it up, stashing it in his pack. He turned and climbed the stairs directly behind him and the warrior followed him silently. She knew better than to talk at a moment like this, when Anders had that look on his face. She just waited patiently for him to speak first.

They discovered two chests on the way out. Anders took most of the gold and offered Mjoll her share, which she at first declined. But he insisted, and so they divided the gold between them. When Anders opened the creaky old door that led up to the surface, he wasn't surprised to find the 'spirit' or memory of Savos Aren, looking sadly back at the door to the main chamber that they had just exited.

"I'm sorry my friends. I'm so sorry," Aren murmured in mournful tones. "I had to do this to protect the world from this creature. I will seal this tomb and nobody will ever have to fall prey to this abomination again!"

"So he sacrificed his friends. The two that were with him when they entered the chamber," Mjoll said quietly when the apparition vanished. "It was the only way to keep the dragon priest imprisoned and Skyrim safe…"

The furrow on Anders's brow deepened and he shook his head, a sigh escaping his lips. Turning, he trudged wearily up the path. His mind once again flew to Alessia and he wondered if she was alright. Even though he held the Staff of Magnus firmly in his hand and would use it to free the college from that damn Thalmor wizard and the Eye – he pursed his lips, his eyes staring blankly ahead…

None of this would matter. None of this would even feel like a victory if and when he succeeded…

Because _she_ was not with him.

…

Serana hugged her mother and Alessia walked to the side, letting both mother and daughter have their moment alone. Deep in her thoughts, her mind again conjured up an image of Anders as she walked towards the door that led to the courtyard of the place. The hurt look on his face when he had realized that she was dismissing him haunted her to no end and she found herself envisioning this image more often than the happier ones.

"Come on," Serana's voice broke into her thoughts as she set a hand on Alessia's shoulder. "She's leading us to the scroll. We should follow her."

They followed Valerica through the door and into the courtyard. Then, right on cue as they were making their way towards the opposite end, a roar shook the entire place and Alessia immediately unsheathed her daggers as a great dragon perched on the far end of the courtyard, flapping its wings. Opening its great maw, it shouted and Alessia watched as purple flames hit the ground and turned into skeletal warriors.

So, this was a different dragon then. She had never before encountered one that could summon the undead. Alessia groaned as she nocked arrow after arrow, until the things practically fell upon her and Serana and her mother. Then she quickly dropped her bow and unsheathed her daggers, cutting through the first wave on her side, while she kept an eye on the dragon's fiery breath, jumping and skipping to the sides to avoid it. When they had finished dealing with the skeletal things – bonemen Valerica had called them – the dragon attacked again and Alessia turned and used the Dragonrend shout on him.

The dragon reeled back a bit, taken aback, and flapped its huge wings feebly, but it landed on the ground, and Alessia charged at it, her daggers flashing and glinting in the half-light. She ran to its side and hacked and slashed, the great beast turning slightly trying to bite her, but she was too nimble and quick. Crouching low, she disappeared momentarily into the shadows and from the great beast's view, and succeeded in opening a wound on the dragon's other side as it roared in anger. Before it could turn to attack, Alessia had once again melted into the shadows, and as the Dragonrend shout had worn out, the beast flapped its wings and took to the air again, perching on the side of the top of the building that surrounded them.

Serana and Valerica focused on the bonemen and wraithmen that appeared from nowhere as the great dragon shouted again from its perch. It took to the air again and Alessia shouted at it once more, effectively hitting it squarely in the chest. The beast roared as it once again was compelled to land on the ground beside Alessia, who repeated her attack, but failed to see the dragon's tail coming at her. She was flung to the side like a rag doll, hitting the ground with a thud – the wind knocked out of her. Serana cried out from where she was fighting a boneman and hurled an ice spell at the dragon, encasing it temporarily in ice. Alessia got up quickly and shook herself, running to slash at the beast again. Serana finished the boneman and moved forward, her eyes on the dragon and Alessia while her mother destroyed the last of the skeletal creatures.

The sheet of ice shattered as the dragon flapped its wings, but Alessia was ready for him. She used the Dragonrend shout on the creature again and it roared in pain and confusion, turning to inspect her as she ran nimbly to the other side. Crouching low, she once again was one with the shadows. When she reappeared on the other side the dragon was too slow. With one swift movement, she ran and jumped lithely on its back, her daggers slicing at the great neck. To Serana and her mother, she was but a blur as she jumped back down quickly. The dragon roared in pain and flapped its wings as Serana used the electricity staff Alessia had given her, and it jerked around. Both Valerica and Serana attacked it with spells from where they stood, and Alessia once again ran towards it, jumping on it and delivering the killing blow.

The dragon roared, a purplish fire enveloping it as it melted away into nothingness, and Alessia found herself on her knees, panting for breath. She quickly reached into her pack for a stamina potion as Serana and her mother ran towards her.

"Are you all right?" Serana asked fearfully, the concern in her eyes making Alessia smile.

"See? I know how to fight a dragon better than anything else," Alessia grinned.

Valerica stood there, her mouth slightly open in surprise, unable to utter a word for a few moments. Alessia smirked and raised an eyebrow at the vampire.

"Forgive me for staring like this," Valerica finally said. "But I thought that no one would ever be able to defeat Durnehviir."

"She's the Dragonborn, Mother," Serana said a bit impatiently, and Valerica scowled for a moment before turning her gaze on Alessia once again.

"Be that as it may, Durnehviir is a special dragon. I wonder…" Valerica murmured more to herself than to Alessia and Serana, but they both heard her.

"Wonder?" Alessia voiced Serana's question.

"It could be that he is not really defeated, but merely displaced - gone for a time while it reconstitutes itself," Valerica pursed her lips, shaking her head. "He isn't an ordinary dragon, but an undead one."

"Oh, that makes me feel so much better," Alessia sighed and then downed a second stamina potion.

Valerica gave her a half-smile and waited for Alessia to get back on her feet. Once she did, she gestured to the other side of the courtyard. "Come. I will give you the scroll."

"Music to my ears," Alessia grinned as she and Serana followed the vampire to an open room where she kept her things. Valerica opened a case which revealed the Elder Scroll and Alessia took it, putting it into her pack.

"Thank you," she said simply, her earnest gaze on the vampire, a half-smile on her face.

"No, don't thank me. Just do what you have to do and protect my daughter at all costs. That is all I'm asking you," Valerica responded, her crimson-orange eyes gleaming slightly. "Is there anything you wish to ask me before you leave?"

"How do I get the soul gem with my soul in it? Do you have any idea where it could be?" Alessia asked quickly, eager for a response.

"I see my daughter has learned what I taught her very well," Valerica's eyes momentarily fell on Serana who was busy at the alchemy table, crushing some ingredients. "I do know where it could probably be. There is a small building not far from here which has a chest at an offering altar. That is where your soul gem is, for that is where all the offering soul gems are placed. I will draw you a map."

Serana approached them, having finished what she was doing.

"Here," she said to Alessia handing her some stamina and health potions. "I made these for you."

"Thanks, Serana," Alessia smiled. "These will come in handy. We still have to retrieve the soul gem with my soul and find Arvak's skull, remember the horse?"

"Yes, I do, in fact," Serana smiled. "We must hurry then."

Valerica approached them both with a piece of parchment in her hands. "It's a crude drawing but explicit. I'm sure you'll find the place with this map." She gave it to Alessia and smiled. "Anything else?"

"Why don't' you come with us?" Alessia asked, realizing that Serana could benefit from having her mother with her again.

"I'm sorry, but I am also a Daughter of Coldharbour. I cannot put myself in harm's way or endanger my daughter even more. It is best for all that I stay here," Valerica replied.

"I understand," Alessia said. She watched as Valerica and Serana embraced briefly. Then Valerica turned to Alessia.

"I still don't know what your intentions are, but you seem to want to protect my daughter from harm and that is enough for me. For Serana's sake, I will always be here in case you need anything."

"Can I return to the Soul Cairn without Serana soul trapping me again?" Alessia asked.

Valerica nodded. "This place has now 'rubbed itself on you'. You can safely travel here and back without needing to be soul trapped again."

"That's good to know," Alessia smiled brightly. "We will return once Harkon is taken care of and let you know."

"Just protect my daughter from harm, that is all I ask of you," Valerica replied with a smile.

"Goodbye, Valerica. Thanks for everything. I promise you that I will do everything I can to keep Serana safe," Alessia smiled back.

…

Anders galloped all the way to Winterhold, thankful that Labyrinthian wasn't that far away to begin with. He dismounted at the stables and paid the stable boy for both horses as Mjoll jumped down from hers, hurrying beside him. As soon as he caught sight of the arch that led to the stone ramps and bridge, his heart flew to his throat. There was a raging blue maelstrom around the ramp and he could see some mages trying to fight it from where he was standing. He quickly ran the rest of the way meeting Tolfdir and the rest of the mages on the stone ramp.

"You're back! Thank the Divines! And you have the Staff of Magnus with you!" the elderly mage exclaimed, sounding extremely relieved.

"What has happened here?" Anders exclaimed his eyes wide and fixed on the scene before him.

"Ancano and the Eye. He's out of control now, mad with power," Tolfdir said sadly.

"We must get inside and fight him! Where is Mirabelle?" Anders asked, his gaze sweeping over the rest of the mages.

"She…she didn't make it," Tolfdir sighed.

Anders shook his head, and gripped the staff tightly, aiming it directly at the blue storm before him. A blinding light shot from it, instantly dissipating the bluish storm in front of him and opening a path for them.

"Ancano needs to be stopped," Anders said, clenching his jaw. "Let's go!"

"I'm right behind you!" Tolfdir exclaimed. Mjoll unsheathed her axe and nodded as well. Faralda and the rest of the mages prepared themselves accordingly.

"No," Anders told Faralda sternly. "Follow us only to the courtyard. Then stay behind to make sure the rest of Winterhold is safe. The town must not suffer just because a stupid power-driven Thalmor wizard went batty and decided to rule the world."

Faralda nodded in agreement as she followed closely behind Anders, Mjoll and Tolfdir. The group soon crossed the stone bridge and arrived at the courtyard. The mages stayed behind as Anders, Mjoll and Tolfdir entered the foyer.

"Be safe," Faralda murmured, her gaze fixed on the great doors.

…

As they left the building and Valerica behind, Alessia stopped in her tracks, her hands immediately flying to her daggers. Directly in front of them sat Durnehviir, perched on a dilapidated word wall.

"Stay your weapons," the dragon growled. "I would speak with you, Qahnaarin."

"I thought you were dead," Alessia said quietly.

"Cursed, not dead. Doomed to exist in this form for eternity. Trapped between laas and dinok, between life and death…"

"Why are we speaking? Didn't you just try to kill me?" Alessia asked coldly. Behind her she could hear Serana's sharp intake of breath.

"The hostility was necessary. I was bound to an oath," the dragon replied mournfully. "We are speaking because I believe in civility among seasoned warriors, and I find your ear worthy of my words. My claws have rended the flesh of innumerable foes, but I have never once been felled on the field of battle. I therefore honor-name you 'Qahnaarin' or 'Vanquisher' in your tongue."

Alessia relaxed completely. She discovered she was actually enjoying the conversation and liked this dragon, even though it was clearly undead and something that looked like pus was oozing from its wounds.

"I found you equally worthy," she half-smiled.

"Your words do me great honor," Durnehviir grumbled. "My desire to speak with you was born from the result of our battle, Qahnaarin. I merely wish to respectfully ask a favor of you."

"What kind of a favor?" Alessia asked, clearly intrigued.

"For countless years I've roamed the Soul Cairn, in unintended service to the Ideal Masters. Before this, I roamed the skies above Tamriel. I desire to return there," the dragon said, the longing in its voice unmistakable to Alessia.

"Why don't you then? What's keeping you here?" Alessia queried.

"I fear that my time here has taken its toll upon me," the dragon replied sadly. "I share a bond with this dreaded place. If I ventured far from the Soul Cairn, my strength would begin to wane until I was no more."

"Then, how can I help you?" Alessia asked with a concerned look on her face.

"I will place my name with you, and grant you the right to call my name from Tamriel," Durnehviir said. "Do me this simple honor and I will fight at your side as your Grah-Zeymahzin, your Ally, and teach you my Thu'um."

"You'd do all that for me? Only if I summon you in Tamriel? That's it?" Alessia asked incredulously. It seemed like this dragon was offering a lot of things in exchange. A bad deal for it - if ever she saw one.

The dragon made a strange noise that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle. "Trivial in your mind, perhaps. For me, it would mean a great deal."

There was a moment of silence in which Alessia's mind suddenly envisioned the fun Anders would have with this. She also realized he would certainly feel sorry for this great beast as well. Her countenance grew serious and a look of sadness crossed her face. Durnehviir, his gaze on her at all times, saw this and mistook her silence for doubt.

"I don't require an answer, Qahnaarin," he hurried to say. "Simply speak my name to the heavens when you feel the time is right."

Alessia smiled suddenly and Durnehviir was pleased. Since the only one moving was Serana, who had begun to pace behind Alessia, the dragon kept its gaze on Alessia.

"I've already made my decision, though," Alessia grinned. Her grin softened to a smile and she gave the dragon a puzzled look. "Why do you call me Qahnaarin exactly?"

"In my language, the Qahnaarin is the Vanquisher, the one who has bested a fellow dovah in battle."

"Fellow dovah?" Alessia echoed, recognizing the word immediately. "Paarthurnax called me a dovah before. But I'm going to tell you what I told him: I'm not a dragon."

Durnehviir craned its neck forward shaking it a little. It seemed to Alessia that he was nodding. "You are the Dovahkiin, the Dragonborn. You may not be one of us in body, but the blood of the dovah runs through your veins and you have earned the right to bear this title. Paarthurnax knows this."

"You know Paarthurnax?" Alessia asked.

"I do. He was Alduin's general. I admired him once. When we ruled the skies of Keizaal – of Skyrim." Durnehviir said.

"How did you end up in the Soul Cairn?" she asked, wishing to know more of Durnehviir.

"There was a time when I called Tamriel my home, but those days have long since passed," the dragon replied in mournful tones. "The dov roamed the skies, vying for their small slices of territory that resulted in immense and ultimately fatal battles."

"So, you were a part of all that?" Alessia asked.

"I was. But unlike some of my brethren, I sought solutions outside of the norm in order to maintain my superiority. I began to explore what the dovah call 'Alok-Dilon', the ancient forbidden art that you call necromancy."

Alessia nodded. "So you sought the Soul Cairn for answers."

"The Ideal Masters assured me that my powers would be unmatched…that I could raise legions of the undead. In return, I would serve them as a Keeper here, until the death of the one who calls herself Valerica," Durnehviir grumbled.

Alessia's eyes widened slightly, immediately realizing the implications. "They didn't tell you she was immortal!" She felt a spark of anger as she exclaimed those words, truthfully upset that Durnehviir had been taken advantage of by the Ideal Masters.

Durnehviir again made an attempt to nod. When he spoke, there was a hint of anger in his voice. "I discovered too late that the Ideal Masters favor deception over honor and had no intention of releasing me from my binding. They had control of my mind, but fortunately they couldn't possess my soul."

"So, if and when I summon you in Tamriel…will you be free again? They don't possess your soul…"

"Free?" The dragon echoed sadly. "No. I have been here too long, Qahnaarin. The Soul Cairn has become a part of what I am. I can never fully call Tamriel my home again, or I would surely perish. I only hope that you will allow me the precious moments of time there through your call…"

Alessia felt the sorrow of the dragon's plight and nodded, a lump forming in her throat. "I wish I could help you more," she said, her voice almost a whisper.

"You are helping me more than you'll ever know if you call me in Tamriel, Qahnaarin. I will now place my name with you," Durnehviir replied, and Alessia felt the words 'Curse, never, dying' seep into her very soul at that moment and she understood that this was the name of the great dragon before her. Durnehviir.

"I will see you in Tamriel," Alessia said firmly as she nodded at Durnehviir.

"Farewell, Qahnaarin. Until we meet again."

…

After following Valerica's map to retrieve the soul gem containing Alessia's soul and scouring the Cairn for Arvak's skull and then returning it, they finally emerged from the Soul Cairn. Bran was overjoyed to see her and jumped up on his hind legs to lick her face, yapping all the while.

"Yuck!" Alessia cried wrinkling her nose. "I'll need a loooong bath after this." The dog whined, tilting his head to the right, but she pushed him down, petted him , and laughed.

They arrived at Fort Dawnguard five days later, and hurried up the path to the great doors at the entrance. Bran barked happily when they were inside and rushed towards the kennels where he had been kept before, while Alessia and Serana looked around for Dexion. They finally had the scroll that would tell them the rest of the prophecy and where the bow was.

They found the elderly priest in the dining facility of the fort, and Alessia smiled as she sat beside him at the table.

"We have the Elder Scroll!" she exclaimed happily, placing it on the table in front of her. "I'll wait for you to finish your meal and then you can read it for us!"

"I knew you would not fail in your quest," Dexion replied, a smile crossing his features. He frowned next, still staring straight ahead, and Alessia's smile froze as a feeling of wrongness invaded her.

"Is something wrong?" she asked quietly, now feeling extremely uneasy as the monk turned and faced her.

Alessia blinked back in surprise, a hand flying to her mouth to stifle the cry that was bubbling to emerge to the surface. The Moth Priest stared at her, his eyes unblinking and covered with a misty white film.

He was blind.

…


	28. Chapter 28

_**Thanks so much KnightOfHolyLight and MB 18932 for your awesome reviews! :D**_

_**There is not much to say, other than my PC is giving me trouble again, so I'm hoping it will let me post this chapter because I'm not so sure when I'll be updating again! Hopefully a week from today! *crosses fingers* **_

_**Bethesda and Bioware own everything! We just play with the characters. ;) **_

Chapter 28

As soon as they entered the Hall of Elements, Ancano acknowledged their presence, and burst out laughing.

"You think you can stop me, you fools? I will be overjoyed when the Aldmeri Dominion crushes you all like the insects you are!" he screamed.

"This has gone too far!" Anders growled, his eyes glowing blue. "Lower your weapon and step away from the Eye!" his voice now boomed.

Mjoll looked at Anders alarmingly. Tolfdir did not seem to notice as he was concentrating on the orb before them. He suddenly realized something and spoke.

"The Eye! Use the Staff of Magnus on it! It seems to be what is fueling Ancano's–" Tolfdir managed to say before Ancano gave a scream of annoyance, interrupting what he was doing long enough to cast a paralysis spell on both Tolfdir and Mjoll. Anders watched them fall and Justice promptly took over completely.

"You'll pay for that!" he bellowed as Ancano aimed his staff at the Eye. It suddenly started to open, shafts of light streaming from the openings. Anders banged the Staff of Magnus on the floor with a resounding thud that echoed throughout the room, and aimed it directly at the Eye. Three Magic Anomalies burst forth from the increasing blinding light and since Anders was nowhere close to Ancano, they fell on Ancano instead, biting and squealing eagerly as they did so.

The Eye started to close again, and Anders aimed spell after spell at Ancano as Justice finally had his way. "You will NOT hurt the mages or the townspeople, fiend!"

Ancano screamed again, successfully killing the Magical Anomalies and fixing the power of his staff on the Eye once again. The Eye started to open with the force of Ancano's spell and Anders shouted angrily as he used the Staff of Magnus on it again. Several Magical Anomalies now burst forth from the blinding light that emanated from the Eye and they fell on Ancano, attacking him ruthlessly. Anders slammed the staff on the ground and lifted his face, eyes on the ceiling as he tore into the Veil, calling forth a Tempest spell directly over Ancano.

The Thalmor wizard didn't have a chance. The Magical Anomalies were instantly fried and Ancano danced around pitifully as the electricity hit and held him in a deadly grip. Then his lifeless body slithered to the ground, where it continued to jerk around from the force of Anders's spell.

Justice retreated just as the Eye closed completely and Anders stopped the spell. Both Tolfdir and Mjoll sat up looking dazed, blinking in amazement. Tolfdir jumped up and nearly danced with joy when he spotted Ancano's body at the far end of the Hall.

Mjoll stood up, her eyes wide as saucers as she regarded Anders, who had bent over and was breathing heavily.

"You did it!" Tolfdir exclaimed happily. "I knew you would! Never doubted you for a moment! You have saved the College and the townspeople of Winterhold as well!"

Anders smiled weakly as he pulled out a magicka potion and drank it. "I'm glad that's over," he said, his voice nearly a whisper.

"I don't know what we can do to harness the power of the Eye now. It seems quite unstable," Tolfdir said, then stood completely still as the air around them suddenly shifted and changed.

Quaranir - the Psijic Monk - suddenly materialized in front of the Eye, looking directly at Anders with a smile on his face.

"I knew you would succeed, mage," Quaranir said. "You are fit to lead the mages now and continue to help them." The monk then turned slightly to look at the Eye before turning back to Anders. "The Eye has grown exceedingly unstable and may not only destroy your College, but the entire world. It must be taken away where it can do no harm."

"Go right ahead and take it, then. You'll hear no objections from me!" Anders quipped.

"Ancano proved that the world isn't ready for this much power. We will take it and you will be free from its grasp," Quaranir said. Turning to face the Eye, he summoned two of his companions. "Gelebros! Tandil! I require your assistance!"

The two monks appeared and positioned themselves around the Eye, waiting for Quaranir's orders. Then the three of them started to chant. The Eye and the monks disappeared and Anders sighed with relief.

Tolfdir approached him and smiled. "I think you are fitting to lead the College now. I can't think of a better Arch-Mage," he said. "Here is the key to the Arch-Mage's quarters and his robes. It's good to see that there are still heroes that can save Skyrim and keep it from harm. I will inform the rest of the mages."

Anders grinned at Tolfdir, and shook his head. "I never wanted to become Arch-Mage. Are you sure you can't?"

"Me?" Tolfdir chuckled. "My dear boy, I hope not! I even forget where I put my mortar and pestle! No. I don't think there is anyone in the College that could lead it as well as you. Congratulations, Arch-Mage. I'll be in my room if you need any further assistance from me."

Anders turned to Mjoll, who was still looking at him with wide eyes. He attempted a smile, but a frown came out instead. He sighed because he knew what was coming.

"What in Oblivion was all _that_?" Mjoll exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. "You were glowing blue!"

…

Anders stretched on the huge bed in the Arch-Mage quarters for the third time and stared up at the high ceiling. He found himself thinking about what had just happened earlier and about the conversation he had had with Mjoll. He had, of course, told her the truth about himself. There was no point in holding it back, particularly since Justice had been in complete control over him. He was relieved that Mjoll had not walked out angrily on him, but rather understood the whole thing. He had his suspicions that she didn't quite believe he was from another world, however.

He sighed and turned over in bed uncomfortably. He had managed to have a tub brought up to his quarters and some of the mages had looked at him oddly when he had asked for it initially, but he had ignored that and had happily sunk into the luxury of a hot bath before flopping on the comfortable bed for the night. He had been so exhausted and thought that the bath would soothe him, but discovered he couldn't sleep, which wasn't new for him. He sat up in bed and got up, thinking that maybe some reading would do the trick and put him to sleep, so he put on his tunic and trousers, pulled on his boots, and then made his way to the Arcanaeum to find a good book.

He knew Urag would probably be awake and there – he hardly went anywhere and when he did, it wasn't far from his precious books. He found himself thinking of Alessia again as he pushed the doors to the Arcanaeum practically bumping into Tolfdir who smiled widely at him.

"Sorry about that," Anders hurried to say. "I had no idea anyone would be up at this hour."

"It's quite alright," Tolfdir replied with a smile. "I often come here to read at night."

Anders smiled back at Tolfdir as he left the room, closing the door softly behind him. He spied Urag sitting on the chair behind his desk nodding over a book, and he grinned as he approached the librarian.

The orc jolted awake, mumbling something about a busy night and fixed his eyes on Anders.

"Arch-Mage or not, my rules with books still stand," he grumbled.

"I need something on 'The Great Collapse', or anything on spells will also do nicely," Anders said with a smile.

Urag nodded and waddled off to get the books. He came back after a few minutes with his arms full of books, spreading them on the table. Anders looked interestedly at two of them, leafing through one first and then the other one.

"Oh! Before I forget," Urag said in a pleasant voice, "the girl you used to travel with was here the other day. She asked about you and had a book for you. A spell called 'Sun Fire'. I wanted to get my hands on it and I think that's why she put it back in her pack. She said she would get another one for me, though."

"Alessia was here?" Anders said quickly and loudly, his heart doing a series of summersaults that he was sure weren't healthy for it at all. "She actually asked for me? Had a spell book for me you say?"

"Haven't you been listening at all to what I've just said?" Urag said rolling his eyes. "Yes, she was here. She had the book and asked to tell you to look for her at Honeyside, whatever that means, or back at the Fort. I assume she means Fort Dawnguard."

Anders blinked back at Urag, unable to say a word for a few minutes his eyes wide open in shock. He recovered soon enough, however, and thanked Urag profusely before he hurried out, eager to find Mjoll who was sleeping in the Hall of Attainment.

As soon as he got there, he ran into the room where she was sleeping soundly, and shook her awake impatiently.

"What? What?" Mjoll blinked back sleepily at him. "Oh, Anders! What do you need?"

"Get ready! We're traveling to Riften immediately!"

…

"No!" Alessia finally spoke. "You're –"

"Blind, yes," Dexion finished the sentence for her, sighing sadly afterwards. "I did not prepare myself as I should have when I read the other scroll. I'm afraid I won't be able to read this one for you."

"Then we're doomed," Alessia replied with a sigh.

"Maybe not. The Elder Scroll wanted you to find it. It's chosen you," Dexion said slowly.

"The Elder Scroll _wanted_ me to find it? What are you talking about?" Alessia asked, her eyebrows shooting up to her hairline in amazement.

"I think you can read it just fine yourself, and it will reveal itself to you. Scrolls have a way to hide if they don't want to be found, you see. You have found three so far. That is more than a single monk can accomplish in a lifetime. Therefore, I am certain you will be able to do this," the monk explained. "What you have to do is find the Ancestor Glade here in Skyrim which isn't far from Falkreath in the mountains opposite a dragon lair called Ancient's Ascent. The Ancestor Glade is full of Ancestor Moths, which are necessary in order to read the scroll. This is the Ritual of the Ancestor Moth, which will ensure that no harm comes to you. As part of the ritual you will also need a draw knife that is located inside the grove. With it you will collect the bark from one of the Canticle trees in order to attract the moths to you. If you perform the ritual correctly, you will start to glow and will be ready to read the scroll. If I had done this before I read the other scroll, I would not be blind today…"

"Are you sure I'll be able to do this?" Alessia asked warily, a worried frown on her face.

"Yes, I am quite sure. Let me go over the details with you once again, step by step," Dexion said reassuringly with a smile.

As they both talked about the ritual, Bran walked into the room, wagging his tail and sitting next to the monk and his mistress. Serana smiled at this and waited patiently for Alessia. As soon as she was clear about all the details, Alessia stood up and patted Bran on the head, then turned to Serana with a smile.

"I do want to have a bite to eat and catch a few hours' sleep. I need to rest or I'll be stupid and ruin what we are doing. I also need a bath, but we can stop at Honeyside for that," she told Serana, walking off towards one of the circular staircases that led to the second floor of the fort.

…

Two days later, Alessia woke up and felt Bran stir beside her. She automatically flung an arm around the dog, and the thumping of his tail against the mattress soothed her. She was about to fall asleep again, but Bran would not have any of that. He whined and licked her face.

"Ugh, don't get personal," she mumbled, sitting up in bed. The dog whined again and tilted its head, giving her a short bark. "I know, I know. I'll get you something to eat. I'm hungry too!"

She got dressed and brushed her hair. Bran barked again impatiently and she sighed.

"You won't even let me braid my hair, will you?" she commented, trying to look serious and failing to do so. She chuckled and tied her long hair into a ponytail.

As she fed her dog scraps from the kitchen, the smell of eggs and ham reached her nostrils and she hurried to the dining facility of the fort. She was surprised to see she was the only one at the table, so she took a piece of freshly baked bread and filled her plate. As soon as she started eating, Sorine made an appearance and smiled at Alessia, then sat down and reached for some bread herself.

"I have a favor to ask you if it isn't too much trouble," Sorine said as she swallowed a piece of bread and reached for the eggs.

"Yes?" Alessia asked around her food and waited patiently for whatever it was that Sorine was going to say.

"I want to perfect our crossbows but need some Dwemer help. I've heard that the schematics to improve them have turned up at a bandit hideout. If you come across it in your travels, could you maybe be a dear and retrieve these documents for me?" Sorine asked with a smile.

Alessia liked Sorine. She was always nice to her and was always in a good mood. She found herself agreeing and Sorine grinned as she asked her for her map to mark the location. Alessia finished her breakfast just as Serana appeared.

"I'm off. Wish me luck," Alessia told Sorine. Isran arrived at the table leading Dexion and smiled at Alessia.

"Where are you going?" Sorine asked curiously.

"I'm going dancing with some moths," Alessia replied with a chuckle.

"Good luck," Sorine laughed.

…

Instead of heading towards Falkreath where Ancestor's Glade was, Alessia headed up to the north.

"Where are we going? We've passed the city gates. Weren't we going to stop at Honeyside first?" Serana asked behind her.

"We're heading towards the Rift Watchtower to retrieve some important documents for Sorine," Alessia explained with a smile. "Then we'll head back towards the city gates and stop at Honeyside. I'll leave the documents there and take a long bath. After that, we can head off towards Falkreath to read the scroll."

Bran barked as a bear blocked their path. Serana flung an ice spell at it and Alessia quickly dodged the bear's attack, coming up from behind as Bran attacked. Her daggers slashed across its back and the creature roared as it tried to swipe at Bran at the same time, but the dog was too quick for it. In a matter of minutes, Alessia had plunged her dagger into its neck and the bear dropped to the ground and died.

She wiped her daggers clean on the grass, and petted Bran and they resumed their brisk walk.

A couple of hours later, they stopped to have some water and Alessia fed her dog some scraps while she had an apple. Serana complained about the sun, even though they were sitting in the shade. Alessia frowned as she stood up, but was relieved when she spotted a windmill that she knew belonged to the Sarethi farm.

"We're nearly there, quit complaining," she chided with a smile.

About an hour later they came to the dilapidated tower, which had a guard posted at the door. Alessia's heart sank when she saw it was an Orc. Orcs were especially strong and fierce in battle. She turned to Serana, placing a finger on her mouth and hiding behind a rock. Bran and Serana ducked and followed suit.

Alessia dug into her pack for something and smiled when she brought out a bottle. "This is stamina poison. The place is guarded by an Orc, so I'm guessing there are more inside. I'll use the poison on my arrows and daggers and I'm sure it will slow them down."

"Are we going to attack directly? There aren't many trees or rocks to hide us when we get closer," Serana said in a low voice.

"I'm hoping to mortally wound the Orc at the door using the poisoned arrows without any of them knowing that we are here," Alessia said thoughtfully. She opened her pack again and rummaged around looking for something then brought out another smaller bottle, half filled with a bright red liquid. "I could use this one which is deadly and will damage his health."

"That's a good idea," Serana said with a smile.

"I'll use this one on the arrows then, and the stamina poison on the daggers," Alessia commented. "Stay undercover and don't attack unless my arrow doesn't kill him. If we can pull this off, we can sneak into the tower undetected and gain the advantage."

Serana nodded, her crimson eyes shining. Alessia prepared two arrows and then applied the stamina poison on her daggers. She glanced at a rock that was near the tower and slithered towards it, reaching it with the guard being none the wiser. Smiling, she nocked the first poisoned arrow, aiming directly at the Orc's head.

A few moments later the arrow whizzed through the air and struck the Orc who toppled forward to the ground noiselessly. Alessia turned to Serana with a brilliant smile, and motioned at her to come forward. Bran ran towards his mistress quietly, ears perked up and alert, his grey eyes fixed on the building ahead.

They flung the door open as silently as they could, but one of the bandits heard and came running down the circular stone stairs, alerting the chief who was on the top floor of the tower. Alessia cursed and brought her daggers out just as Bran jumped and attacked, his jaws closing in on the Orc's forearm. Alessia slashed into the bandit's chest, as the chief made his way down two floors to join the fray. Serana quickly froze the chief in place and hit him with a drain health spell as Alessia quickly backstabbed the one she was fighting. Turning, she quickly met the frozen Orc in battle and slashed through the ice, wounding him. Serana positioned herself at the bottom of the stone staircase carefully avoiding Alessia and Bran and continued to drain the bandit's health who was now panting for breath, mainly due to the stamina poison that was finally taking its toll on him.

In one swift movement, Alessia got behind the Orc and slit his throat. He went down gurgling and clutching at his neck.

"I'm glad I'll be taking a nice long bath in Honeyside," Alessia said wrinkling her nose. She started to loot the two bandits then head up to the top, looking for the bandit chief's chest.

She found the schematics and part of a Dwarven haul, but ignored it, stuffing the documents into her pack. She quickly pocketed the gold and precious gems she found as well. There was nothing else of interest to her, so she smiled, quite pleased with herself and petted her dog before she turned to grin at Serana.

"Now we go to Honeyside, and I can finally take my bath!" she exclaimed happily.

…

It did not take long for Anders to see that there was nobody at Honeyside. He suppressed a disappointed sigh and Mjoll smiled to herself when she saw the tub in the corner. She turned to Anders shyly.

"The only place I could go take a bath would be the inn, and it is late so I don't want to. Could I take one here instead?" she asked him with pleading eyes. "I'll get some water from the dock and won't bother you at all for anything.

"Yes, of course," Anders replied automatically. "It's no bother at all. Call me when you want me to heat the water up for you. I'll take one later. In the meantime I'll go cook a meal for us."

He went up the wooden stairs and looked around, finding some tomatoes and leeks. He knew there was no meat of any kind in the house and soon he was chopping the vegetables and putting them into a hot pot over the fire. Soon the tomatoes were steaming and bubbling, so he added the cut up leeks and looked around for some spices. Mjoll passed him with the last pail of water to fill the tub and asked him to heat it. He nodded and followed her. When he was done heating the water in the tub he went back up the stairs again and checked the soup. Below he could hear Mjoll humming to herself and he pursed his lips as he added some salt, stirring the contents of the pot.

At that moment, the front door opened and Anders turned, his hand already at the staff on his back. Then he froze.

Standing in the doorway was Alessia, with Serana behind her. Anders's jaw dropped open and he was struck dumb for a few moments.

Alessia's eyes were wide open with shock. When she finally spoke, Serana had pushed her inside and Bran walked into the room, sitting on the wooden floor and looking up at his mistress adoringly.

"What in Oblivion are you doing here?" Alessia hissed.

Anders frowned. This was not going the way he had imagined.

"You left a message for me at the College," he replied, his brow furrowed. "Didn't you?" he added, a doubtful tremor in his voice.

Alessia said nothing for a few moments. She thought about everything she wanted to say and nodded. "Oh," she eloquently said, her eyes now fixing themselves on Anders's face, and her breathing hitching slightly.

"Does that mean you _did_ leave a message?" Anders asked his brown eyes laden with confusion.

"Um…message?" Alessia echoed, her heart hammering in her chest. She was certain he could hear it, but he just continued to stare at her. The fact that she was covered in dry blood didn't seem to bother him in the least. In fact, she was sure he hadn't even noticed.

At that moment, his eyes fell on her body and he realized that she was covered in blood.

"Maker's breath! Are you hurt?" he asked in a worried tone and took a few steps towards her.

Alessia shook her head vehemently and took a step back, right on Serana's toes. The vampire hissed in pain and gave a jump. "Ow!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry about that," Alessia said contritely, then turned back to Anders. "It's not my blood, don't worry."

He was looking at her with such longing and adoration that her heart skipped a beat. She rummaged in her pack and brought up a book, smiling. "I wanted to give this to you, but I wasn't sure if you could learn spells here like you did in Thedas. It could come in handy if you come across any vampires. We're _so_ close to…" she began, then stopped talking as she heard the stairs creak, turning her head slightly to the right and receiving the shock of her life.

Mjoll the Lioness was rushing up the stairs, with a towel around her wet, naked body. Alessia felt the anger start at the pit of her stomach and bubble up to the surface in two seconds flat.

Anders's eyes widened as he looked at Mjoll, then turned back to Alessia who was red in the face, her icy blue eyes now fixed on Anders and shooting daggers.

"Oh!" Mjoll exclaimed. "I heard voices and thought you were under attack!"

"And you were going to do what? Bludgeon them with your tits?" Alessia snapped.

"I-I'll go get dressed." Mjoll turned and hurried down the steps, a sly smile on her face, which nobody saw except for Serana, whose eyes narrowed.

"You bastard!" Alessia hissed, throwing the book at Anders. The book landed hard on his chest and fell to the floor.

"Andraste's knickerweasels!" he exclaimed massaging his chest.

Alessia swore under her breath and turned to leave.

"Wait, Alessia! Let me explain! It's not what you think!" Anders began, as he took a few steps in her direction, only to find a dagger pointing directly at his neck.

"Shut up!" Alessia growled.

"You really think I would do this to you? In your own house? "Anders asked angrily, his eyes flashing as his temper got the better of him.

"I don't know why I thought you'd be any different from any other man! You just take what you want and Mara damn the woman who gave it to you!" Alessia screamed. Bran decided he had had enough and stood, growling at the offensive human in front of his mistress, his hackles raised.

"Fine! If you want to believe it, by all means, go right ahead then!" Anders shouted. "But tell the dog to stop growling at me or I'll fry him!"

She waved her hand at the dog, who immediately quieted but remained alert, her other hand still holding the dagger at Anders's neck. "Don't you dare! He's been more loyal to me than you ever were!"

Anders scoffed. "Says the woman who dismissed my help to go traipsing off with a vampire."

Alessia didn't want to dignify that with a response. Anders knew full well why she had helped Serana. Instead, she felt the overwhelming need to hit something and screamed wordlessly as she slammed the dagger into the table. Everyone in the room quieted immediately and as she opened her eyes, she realized which weapon was in her hand, hilt deep in the wood beside her. The ebony blade that he had enchanted for her and gifted her, what seemed years ago now, after they had argued about the fact that he would one day leave to find a way home. The anger drained out of her as she stared at it, fingering the hilt.

She met his gaze then, the firelight reflecting against unshed tears. "You were never mine, Anders," she began, quietly. "You were always going to leave."

Anders started to speak but she raised a hand and he quieted. She looked longingly at the dagger. "Continue to use the houses, take what you need from the chests, just…don't fuck her in my bed." She stared at the blade a moment longer, then withdrew her hand.

Alessia turned, ignoring Anders's protests and left the house, slamming the door behind her with Bran at her heels.

Serana looked at Anders. Even though a part of her was rather happy this had happened, she felt sorry for the mage for she clearly understood what Alessia had failed to see.

"For what it's worth, I don't believe you were doing anything," Serana said quietly.

"I don't care anymore!" Anders said angrily, the tears threatening to fall. "I _can't_ care! I don't _want_ to care!"

Serana sighed and let herself out. Alessia was nowhere to be found. On an impulse, she walked towards the market. Alessia was about to go down a staircase and Serana quickened her pace, following her quietly.

When she reached the bottom of the wooden stairs, she stopped with a strangled growl and then made her way up to the top again, this time heading towards the inn.

"I _still_ need a bath!" Alessia exclaimed to no one in particular as she arrived at the door to the inn. "Bastard!"

…

Mjoll climbed the stairs and saw that Anders was breathing heavily, staring at a dagger embedded in the table. She walked up to where he was standing and waited for him to speak. He just looked at her - the anger on his face and in his eyes causing her to blink. Then he walked down the stairs in a huff, stopping only when he got to the downstairs bedroom.

Unbidden, the image of Alessia clad in only a bedsheet as she brushed his long hair came to him and he remembered when she had told him that she loved his hair. Snarling angrily, he stood in front of the looking glass, and unsheathed his belt knife. He wrapped his long ponytail around his forearm and in one clean swipe cut it close to where the tie was holding it together, dropping the knife immediately afterwards. The hair he had cut off fell onto the wooden floor and he looked into the looking glass, his breath coming in short gasps as he struggled to remove the image of Alessia smiling as she told him why she couldn't braid it. He realized sadly that this image was now permanently seared into his brain.

Then the dam finally broke and the tears came.

…

Alessia and Serana set out for Falkreath the following day. Her icy blue eyes fell on the door to Honeyside, but she pursed her lips and made no further comment. They did not speak as they traveled and stopped only when it got too dark to continue.

She fed the dog some scraps, and ate some cheese and bread, washing it down with some mead as she sat at the campfire. Bran sat beside her when he was done eating and she felt somewhat comforted by the dog's presence. Serana did not take her eyes off her, but she said nothing as Alessia stood up and headed into the tent.

She lay on the bedroll and the whole scene that had taken place at Honeyside replayed in her mind. She felt angry again and ended up bursting into tears. She grasped her hands tightly into Bran's fur as she wept. Rather than yelp when she inadvertently hurt him, the intuitive animal gave his mistress's forehead a lick and settled his jaw on the top of her head comfortingly.

Serana heard her and her heart wrenched inside her. She knew better than to try talking to her, for she was certain she wouldn't listen. Shaking her head, she fixed her troubled eyes on the fire before her and only sighed with relief when the crying coming from the tent had subsided.

…

Ancestor's Glade wasn't easy to find, but Alessia was determined. When they finally reached the place, they found themselves in a cave and Serana found herself commenting that it didn't seem like much.

Alessia made her way around a tree trunk and crossed a gap and they suddenly found themselves overlooking an impressive grove, with moths flying here and there, and lovely blue pools of water and two waterfalls. Serana immediately regretted her earlier comment.

"This place is lovely!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad you are here with me."

Alessia gave Serana a half-smile and she started to go down a stone staircase, straight to the bottom of the grove and the pools of water, where she saw several trees. When she reached the area, she saw that one of the trees held a strange tool in the center, and she took it, immediately knowing that this was the draw knife that she needed to harvest the bark.

Once the bark from the Canticle Tree was harvested, she walked towards the first group of moths and waited. The moths instantly flocked toward her and she smiled. She did this with the six remaining groups of moths just like the Moth Priest had told her to, and as soon as the seventh and last group had gathered around her, she heard Serana's strangled cry for the soft glow emanating from Alessia had now turned brilliant.

"You are truly glowing!" Serana exclaimed.

"I know where I have to read the scroll," Alessia pointed to a place in the center of the grove. A ray of light was shining directly on it and the three made their way down to the spot. As she stepped into the warm light, Alessia closed her eyes. She could feel the moths flitting here and there on her skin, across her face and eyelids. She wondered briefly what Anders would think…if he would be moved by the vision of her here, then sobbed ruefully as she burst into tears.

Serana's breath caught in her throat as she watched Alessia. She watched as the tears streamed down the thief's cheeks, the wet lines shining like white fire in the bright light surrounding her. Alessia was a paragon of beauty at that moment; strength and sadness, things Serana knew of very well, as the light pulsed and moths fluttered around her.

Alessia took a deep breath as her sobs gradually subsided and she let the warm light envelop her very soul. _Love be damned. There is nothing for me anywhere I go but duty._ She opened her eyes slowly and reached for the scroll.

She opened it with bated breath and the images came at her so fast, her head began to swim. She suddenly knew what would happen, she knew exactly where they had to go, and she knew what the outcome would be if they didn't hurry.

Closing the scroll, she swayed a little and Serana's strong arm held her.

"I know where we have to go," Alessia said, her voice nearly a whisper. "The place is called Darkfall Cave. _That's_ where we'll find Auriel's Bow. The Scroll has given me its exact location."

…


	29. Chapter 29

_**First of all we would love to thank all of you who reviewed: CouslandSpitFire, KnightOfHolyLight, Celestine Dark, Ravenwiccn and MB18932. We also want to thank all those of you who have put this fic on your list of favorites and are now following it! :D **_

_**This chapter has mature content at the very beginning and it's extremely graphic with rape scenes and sexual abuse. If you feel it can offend you, please skip the beginning which is subtitled: SERANA. You have been warned! **_

_**Bioware and Bethesda own everything; we just play with the characters! **_

Chapter 29

**SERANA**

Serana had never known cruelty or pain when she was a little girl. Then something had happened to make her realize that everything in the world was not as perfect as she thought it was.

She remembered very well when she was five, a bird had become entangled in the vines growing at the castle where they lived in Cyrodiil, and it had desperately fluttered around trying to free itself, hurting itself in the process. The bird had started bleeding and she had run to her mother, genuinely concerned with its plight.

When her mother had followed her into the gardens, she had smiled and reached out to help the poor creature. As it was, the bird had managed to fatally wound itself in its desperate struggles and was covered in blood. She had asked her mother what that red stuff that was coming out of the bird was, for she had seen it before on herself when she had scraped her knee in the courtyard.

"That is blood, my child. The essence of all living things," her mother had said, then had shaken her head sadly. Serana had looked at the bird in her mother's palm and it had lain there, quite still.

"Why won't you help it, mother?" Serana had asked close to tears, her eyes on the still form in her mother's hand.

"I cannot help it any longer, darling," her mother had said. "It has bled to death."

Serana had cried for the bird while her mother buried it.

And she had known what sorrow was then.

Afterwards, her mother had started to collect plants and herbs, and experimented with alchemy.

She was with her mother on the day Valerica had begun to master necromancy. The day she saw her mother bring the bird to life she had smiled, because the little thing had flown around them both while Serana had clapped her hands, jumping with joy and dancing around her mother. But then the bird had crumbled into ash before her and she had stopped dancing. Her mother had then told her that what mattered was that the bird had returned, even if it was only for a little while.

That is when Serana discovered power. The power behind necromancy… and being able to hold a life in your hands.

When she was fifteen, her father had started to disappear inside the castle where they lived. He would be gone for long periods of time, and every time he returned, her mother would weep. She didn't like it when her mother cried, it hurt inside. That's when she had first discovered the true pain that came from suffering.

Her father still had moments when he would sit at the dinner table and smile lovingly at her. And they laughed and smiled and sang afterwards when dinner was done. But that didn't last.

One day, after her twentieth birthday, she found her father lying on the cobblestoned courtyard. He was lying there quite still, and she remembered the bird. Fear had clutched at her heart and she had called out to her mother. Her mother had come running and the sadness that lingered in the air only added to her fear. But then her father had opened his eyes and begun talking about Molag Bal, and how his Lord loved him.

Serana's mother had smiled. She had believed her father and had urged Serana to try to understand. There was nothing else that would make her happier.

So they began to follow her father, and disappear behind the secret door to the meetings with the Daedric Prince. But Serana never saw Molag Bal, and she doubted her parents' mental sanity.

And this was the first time she had experienced doubt.

The days turned to months and the meetings with Molag Bal grew in frequency until her father told her that he had found the ritual to finally be able to commune with their Lord Prince. She had been so happy and proud of her father. For when her father was happy, Serana felt all the bad things in the world disappear.

The day of the Ritual came quickly and the three of them gathered in the secret room, where they kept a shrine to Molag Bal. The Ritual had been carried out, and Molag Bal had stood before them at last. The Daedric Prince had fallen upon Valerica first, slashing at her with his claws, then lapping up her blood. He had abused and raped her then turned on Harkon. When the Prince had mounted Serana's father, Serana had considered running away, but she was naked and fear kept her rooted to the spot as her eyes took in all the blood around her. She had tried to look away, but she had been hypnotized and had stared at what was happening in front of her very eyes. When it was her turn, she had screamed. Oh, how she had screamed!

She screamed while she was raped. She screamed when her father had started to eat her, tearing the huge hunks of flesh from her. She screamed when her mother did the same. But she screamed more when she ate parts of her own mother and father as they laughed and then fell on their knees begging Molag Bal for life. Begging Molag Bal for death. Molag Bal had laughed and had raped them again, violently abusing the three of them until they shuddered and twitched so close to death in the vast pools of blood that now covered the stone floor.

And that is when Serana had known cruelty. And the pain that came from cruelty.

Then she had known darkness. The darkness that came after dying.

And when she opened her eyes, Serana knew that everything would be different.

For the three of them had become vampires.

…

**On the way to the location of the bow, present time**

Serana looked at Alessia, still in a state of mild shock. After reading the scroll, a group of vampires and thralls had attacked them at Ancestor's Glade. Alessia had flung herself into battle, which had first surprised Serana considerably as Alessia was always finding ways to blend into the shadows for her attacks. When one of the vampires thought he had her under a spell, Alessia had laughed manically – a sound that had caused Serana's blood to run cold – and had slit the vampire's throat, moving on quickly to the thrall next to it. Then, a gargoyle had made its appearance, but Alessia hadn't waited for it to attack her first - she had thrown herself at the creature instead, a feral look in her eyes and a half-smile that had caused Serana to take a few steps back and gaze up dumbly at her for a few moments. Alessia had become a blur and had not stopped until everyone and everything lay dead at her feet.

"Darkfall Cave," Alessia said to Serana without even glancing back at her now climbing the stone steps that would take them out of the grove. Bran whined up at his mistress, a look of confusion on his face.

Even the dog felt something was very wrong. Serana quickly fell into step beside Alessia, wondering if this had anything to do with the scroll, but knew deep down inside that it didn't.

They reached Darkfall cave in three days. Alessia did not wait for Serana and whisked her blades out, rushing into the cave without sparing a glance behind her. Once inside, she set her sword and dagger on the soft ground as she looked inside her pack for the ring that would enable her to see clearly in the dark and put it on.

"There's a path up ahead, but I see a frostbite spider as well. We should be careful," Serana said. Alessia did not reply, choosing to shrug nonchalantly at no one in particular as she collected her weapons and secured her pack on her back. Once the frostbite spider was dead, Serana used a necromancy spell to bring it back to life for she was sure they would be attacked again further up the path.

She was not wrong.

When the trolls attacked, Alessia sprang into action, a look of fierce happiness on her features as she beheaded one of them and jumped right in front of the other one, then ducked, laughing as the monster tried to hit her. Serana flung an ice spell at it and watched with a worried frown on her face as Alessia finished it off.

Then, when they were crossing a hanging bridge, Serana understood why the cave was called 'Darkfall' as the ropes on the bridge broke and they fell into a rushing underground river below. The current carried them downstream, until they reached an area where it dwindled into a brook. Unfortunately for them, they had also fallen straight into a spider lair and even though they were drenched to the bone and exhausted from fighting the current, they had to defend themselves immediately as the spiders attacked.

When Alessia was bitten, she took a potion to cure herself and continued to fight the spiders, her eyes shining in the half-light. Once all the spiders were dead, they advanced further into the cave, arriving to a makeshift camp with the body of a dead Breton woman lying on the ground beside her bedroll.

Alessia found a chain behind the tent and she pulled it. A rock door slid open, revealing a hidden path. They advanced along this path, reaching an open area with an elf standing next to what looked like a sunken dome-like structure.

The elf had white hair and very pale skin. He was nothing like any elf Alessia had ever seen before.

"I am Knight-Paladin Gelebor. Welcome to the Great Chantry of Auri-El," the elf said.

"So this cave is a temple to Auriel?" Alessia asked immediately, a smile on her face.

"Auriel, Auri-El, Alkosh, Akatosh…so many different names for the sovereign of the snow elves," Gelebor said.

"A snow elf? So, you're a Falmer?" Alessia asked curiously.

"I prefer to be called a snow elf. The name Falmer usually holds a negative meaning to most travelers. Those twisted creatures you call Falmer, I call the Betrayed," the Knight-Paladin replied.

"Do you know why I'm here?" Alessia asked.

"Of course. You're here for Auriel's Bow. Why else would you be here?" the snow elf replied with a smile on his face. "I can help you get it, but first I must have your assistance."

"How do you know I'm here for the bow?" Alessia wondered curiously.

"For the thousands of years I've served as the Chantry's sentinel, there hasn't been a single visitor here for any other reason. They request Auriel's Bow, and I request their assistance. It's been repeated so many times, I can't imagine it any other way."

"Well, I don't have a choice anyway, do I?" Alessia said bitterly.

"Oh, but you're wrong. You do have a choice. You could turn around and travel back from wherever you started empty handed, or you could help me instead," Gelebor replied evenly.

"What is it you need?" Alessia sighed.

"I need you to kill Arch-Curate Vyrthur…my brother," the Knight-Paladin said quietly.

"I beg your pardon?" Alessia shot back at him, her eyes wide with surprise.

Gelebor sighed deeply. "The kinship between us is gone. I don't understand what he has become, but he is no longer the brother I once knew. It was the Betrayed…they did something to him. I just don't know why Auri-El would allow this to happen."

"What did the Betrayed do?" Alessia queried.

"They swept into the Chantry without warning and began killing everyone without pause. We fought back, of course. I led a small group of paladins myself. But we were no match for the Betrayed's sheer numbers. They ended up slaughtering everyone and stormed the Inner Sanctum where I believe they corrupted Vyrthur. I don't even know how I managed to escape in the end."

"Maybe Vyrthur is dead already. Have you thought of this as a possibility?" Alessia asked thoughtfully.

The snow elf shook his head vehemently. "He's alive. I've seen him. But something is wrong. He never looks as though he is in pain or under duress. He just…stands there and watches, as though waiting."

"So what exactly do we have to do?" Alessia sighed.

"The path to the Inner Sanctum, where Vyrthur and the bow are, is not an easy one. Along the way you will stop at wayshrines exactly like this one-"the snow elf pointed to the domed structure behind him – "which are guarded by ghostly Prelates and draw water from the basins there. You will have to use this," the Knight-Paladin said, handing Alessia a silver jug, which was delicately carved. "It's magical, so it will keep the water within until the Inner Sanctum is reached. It is enchanted to spill into the entrance of the Inner Sanctum only, nowhere else."

"I don't understand. Where are these basins?" Alessia asked, staring at the structure which seemed to be buried in the ground. She could see no opening at all, only the dome protruding from the earth.

"Here, let me show you," Gelebor said and cast a spell on a sun-like symbol at the top of the dome. The whole structure then rose, and the opening to the shrine was revealed. In the center was a stone basin, filled with fresh water.

"So, we have to fill the basin with water from each of the wayshrines?" It was Serana who asked this time around, while Alessia just stood there, staring at the basin as if transfixed. "Only to have to pour the water out at the entrance to the Inner Sanctum is that correct?"

"Yes. That is the way of an Initiate. And that is the way you will gain entrance," the Knight-Paladin replied with a frown.

"It makes no sense to me," Serana commented, shaking her head.

"It's symbolic. I don't expect you to understand," Gelebor shot back, sounding a bit annoyed.

"So, let's get this straight. We need to do all that nonsense and carry the heavy pitcher of water until we reach the Inner Sanctum, so that we can get into the temple to kill your brother and claim Auriel's Bow?" Serana said sarcastically.

"I know how it all sounds, but if there was another way I'd have done it long ago. The only way to get to my brother is by following in the Initiates' footsteps and traveling from wayshrine to wayshrine just as they did. The first wayshrine lies at the end of Darkfall Passage, a cavern that represents the absence of enlightenment. There are five in total, spread far apart across the Chantry. The Prelates will allow you to draw the waters from each basin as if you've been enlightened."

"We have a long way ahead of us, then. Let us be off," Alessia said curtly nodding to the Knight-Paladin as she stepped into the stone structure and passed through the doorway into an even darker area with Serana and Bran following her.

…

**Honeyside**

"Anders," Mjoll said behind him, walking up to him and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Please, leave me alone, Mjoll," Anders whispered.

"She didn't deserve you," Mjoll shot back at him. "Let it go…let _her_ go."

"What?" Anders turned and looked up at her from where he was sitting. She had a smug look on her face that confused him even more.

"You deserve a good Nord woman, even if you _are_ a mage. What is _she_? She's an… _elf_," Mjoll spat out the word as Anders narrowed his eyes at her. "Not even a true elf, but a half-breed! She's also a thief and the Guildmaster of the Thieves Guild here in Riften. And she's actually proud of this! She goes around saying she's the Guildmaster to anyone who will listen!"

Anders stood up, his anger slowly rising to the surface. "You! You came up the stairs like that on purpose, didn't you?"

"I couldn't have asked for better timing," Mjoll smirked. "It turned out even better than I had hoped for! Not that something like that could be planned. I had no way of knowing she would show up, but I'm glad she did!"

"Get out," Anders said quietly, his eyes glowing blue for a few moments as he struggled with his anger.

"What?" Mjoll's eyebrows flew to her hairline.

"Out!" Anders shouted. "Go back to Aerin!"

"I did this for you! You should be free of her and now you are!" Mjoll protested. "I could be yours. I'm better than her!"

"Get out before I lose it, Mjoll. I never want to see you again," Anders said quietly.

Mjoll stepped back a few steps when Anders's skin started to crackle with the blue light she had seen before at the College. Terrified out of her wits, she quickly turned heel, running up the stairs. She reached the front door and yanked it open. Without a backward glance, she stepped out and slammed the door behind her.

Anders sat down on the bed completely exhausted, trembling slightly as Justice retreated. His eyes automatically fell on the tub in the corner and he shook his head sadly. How could he have been so stupid?

The realization that Mjoll had actually done everything on purpose depressed him even more than he had been. Alessia was gone from his life and it had all been a terrible misunderstanding.

And she would never come back.

…

**The Forgotten Vale**

They reached the Forgotten Vale after a terrible trek through Darkfall passage. The whole way was full of Falmer and their minions, the chaurus. They also were attacked by a horrible breed of flying Chaurus that they had never seen before. The way through the caves had been illuminated by glowing mushrooms and luminescent flowers that retreated into their knobby stalks as they passed. There was another kind of flower as well, with brightly luminous blue and pink blossoms that Alessia passed, uncaring. Serana plucked them as they went, knowing that if and when Alessia rose out of the gloom she was in, she would want them to experiment with her potions.

Serana tried to talk to Alessia after they had found three of the wayshrines and had battled against the Falmer, frostbite spiders and a couple of frost giants. Her concern had turned into alarm by then, for Alessia was now virtually throwing herself into the battles, taunting death itself.

"I _need_ to talk to you, Alessia," she said grabbing the thief's arm. Serana had seen her stiffen and when she turned, her eyes were cold and distant.

"What?" Alessia had said rather brusquely.

"I know what you are doing and I don't like it," Serana began, concern written all over her face. Alessia had shrugged and looked ahead, not saying a word. "He really didn't do anything! You're wrong and have jumped to the wrong conclusion!"

The anger that flashed in Alessia's eyes had caused Serana to do a double take and Bran had whined pitifully at both women before him. Alessia's eyes had softened for a moment, but then the coldness had crept back in and she set her jaw with an audible grinding of teeth. She still didn't say anything, but immediately summoned Durnehviir afterwards for there were more Falmer up ahead.

The great dragon had taught Alessia the first word of his Thu'um, and then had helped in their battle against the Falmer. The odds had tipped in their favor, and some of Serana's worry had changed to relief, but she still watched Alessia closely.

They reached the fourth wayshrine on their second day in the Forgotten Vale. The ghostly Prelate had greeted them and Alessia had walked into the stone structure to gather the water in the Ewer, and then had stepped outside silently. She knelt for a moment, securing the Ewer onto Bran's back with a length of rope as her eyes scanned the white frozen lake before them while Serana stood quietly beside her.

When Alessia spotted a dilapidated, frozen word wall in the middle of the frozen lake, she had frowned and turned to Serana.

"Dragons up ahead," she murmured. Alessia then searched for a good place to summon Durnehviir, and when he appeared, he taught her the second word of his Thu'um.

"I can feel my strength returning each time I am set free from that prison! Hear now the second word of Soul Tearing: 'Vaaz' – meaning to tear your enemy's soul from its living vessel," the great dragon had cried. Then it flapped its great wings and took to the skies above them.

"I don't understand," Serana said in confusion as they walked over the frozen lake, getting closer to the word wall. "There is no danger around us. Why have you summoned Durnehviir?"

Alessia pointed at the word wall, her eyes now scanning the whole area alertly. Bran started to growl as they heard a rumble that seemed to come from underneath the ice. A thunderous crash threw them onto the hard ice as a dragon surfaced from the bottom of the lake and flew overhead. Serana quickly got to her feet and cast an ice spell to slow it down, while Alessia nocked her first arrow, aiming directly at the beast as Durnehviir circled above them protectively.

At that moment, a second thunderous crash threw them once again onto the ice and a second dragon made its appearance, joining the first in the sky above them. But this one opened its great maw and fire burst from it, barely missing them and causing the ice next to them to melt.

They scrambled to their feet away from the icy waters and hurried across the ice as Durnehviir shouted at the dragons and summoned his minions to help in the battle.

Serana hid behind the word wall itself for if the fire hit her, she would certainly perish. Alessia turned to Bran and ordered the dog to go to Serana, and he obeyed because there wasn't much he could do while the dragons were in the air.

Alessia used Dragonrend and the ice shook when the dragon landed beside her. It had already been weakened by Durnehviir's shouts and spells so she quickly slashed at it, while Serana managed to encase the beast in ice with one of her spells.

The second dragon roared at Durnehviir, and they both flapped their wings as they fought each other above Alessia.

When Alessia delivered the killing blow, Durnehviir landed beside her and roared as it vanished back into the Soul Cairn. Alessia cursed under her breath and turned to face the great dragon that remained with a scowl on her face.

She quickly shouted at it, and the Dragonrend shout compelled the great beast to land. Screaming a war cry, she ran right in front of it and slashed her sword across it as she moved to the right, narrowly avoiding the dragon's mouth as it snapped its jaws at her.

Serana's heart flew to her mouth and Bran ran from behind the word wall, jumping on the beast to defend his mistress. Alessia used Dragonrend on the creature again, weakening it even further as it now tried to bite Bran. Serana cast another ice spell that hit it just as Bran jumped out of the way.

This gave Alessia a window of opportunity and she took it immediately, jumping lithely on the dragon's scaly back. She severed its spine directly behind its massive head and jumped back down, sheathing her weapons and standing absolutely still as she absorbed the dragon's soul.

"I'm so glad we got through that," Serana said behind her, the relief in her voice causing a shadow of a smile to flicker on Alessia's face for a brief moment.

Then, Alessia turned to the word wall and focused on the word that seeped into her very soul as she mastered it. She then knew that when she learned the other two words of this shout, she would be able to drain the vitality from her enemies, weakening them to the point of near death.

Alessia went up the frozen path towards the wayshrine they had just been at, and scanned the mountains silently.

"Why are we returning here?" Serana asked. "This is the Wayshrine of Resolution and we still need to find the last wayshrine."

"It's this way," Alessia said curtly. Serana kept quiet and followed her up the frozen path that led deeper into the mountains. That's when Serana's eyes caught movement up ahead.

"More Falmer," Alessia deadpanned. "Prepare yourself."

…

Serana was exhausted. Twice she had put herself in harm's way to save Alessia's life. Her alarm had now turned into anguish and fear gripped her heart in an ugly vise. Yet Alessia remained calm and recollected through it all, aside from the fact that she changed into a dangerous killer with a death wish every time she saw the enemy.

They journeyed into a glacial crevice and climbed the icy path, battling the Falmer along the way, and finally reached the outdoors again. Serana's sigh of relief quickly turned to a sharp intake of breath when she saw they had entered still another Falmer camp, full of huts built everywhere and teeming with Falmer. The Falmer had even succeeded in building rope bridges and paths above them. Alessia paused, digging into her pack for a moment. She retrieved a few soul gems and pressed them into her weapons to recharge their enchantments before sheathing her blades and nocking an arrow.

The first few arrows hit their marks and dropped them silently, but even though the Falmer were blind, they managed to find their fallen comrades quickly and let out sharp cries, alerting the camp. Dozens of the Betrayed stormed out of their huts, and hoots and grunts in a sharp language from the ledges above told Alessia exactly where they were.

"Um, Alessia-" Serana began, grabbing her friend's shoulder as poisoned arrows began to fall around them, the angry horde nearing the trio.

Alessia shrugged her off and continued calmly firing arrows into the oncoming mob. "Hide, and guard Bran," she said, pulling another arrow from her quiver. She spared a glance at Serana, who stood unmoving, hands crackling with spells. "GO, DAMMIT!" she yelled, pausing in her assault to shove Serana towards cover.

Serana stumbled and gawked at Alessia's angry command, but pulled a snarling Bran behind a rock where she could fire off spells unhindered. She shot a few ice spikes into the group of Falmer, but they continued advancing, unhindered.

A mere second before the shrieking horde overtook her, Alessia dropped her bow at her feet and grabbed the dagger at her belt. In one motion, she unsheathed the Nightingale Blade from her back and pulled it into a downward arc, eviscerating the first Falmer to reach her. Reversing the swing, she decapitated the next as it approached and laughed.

Serana drained the health of the first few Betrayed as they surrounded her friend, but worried about hitting her by accident. She quickly untied the Ewer from Bran's back and grabbed his snout, pulling his attention from his mistress back to her. "Take down the ones blocking her from me so I don't hit her with a spell. Understand?"

The dog huffed, then tore away from the vampire's grasp, joining the fray. He hamstrung a few and dropped them to give Serana a clear view before his baser instincts took over, ripping the throat out of one of the foul elves for daring to attack the leader of his small pack.

Alessia sunk her dagger into an arm wielding a sword as it swung at her, its hilt falling from her grasp as she pivoted to block a spear with the Nightingale Blade. The Falmer around her were thinning, but slowly, and she couldn't afford to only have one weapon. A Betrayed aimed an axe at her, so she grabbed its handle and kicked its owner in the stomach, wrenching the axe from the elf's hand. She spun, swinging her sword around her to give herself some room, then sunk the Falmer axe into its previous owner's face. The head cracked in two from the force of her swing, and she threw her head back and laughed before hammering the broken blade into the neck of another Betrayed, covering her in blood as it fell.

Serana summoned lightning and ice spikes, downing their enemies as quickly as Alessia. She paused briefly to pull the cork out of a magicka potion with her teeth and downed it, shooting spells one-handed as she drank. She searched an opening and cast a drain health spell at members of the mob around her friend, careful not to hit her, though she knew the thief's sword would restore some of her health as she killed. The vampire aimed ice spikes at the remaining archers, taking down all but a few.

Alessia jerked as a poisoned arrow hit her in the chest. Only a few Falmer remained, and she could hear Bran growling somewhere behind her. She snarled as she pulled the arrow out, turning it to stab an enemy in the eye before disemboweling it with her sword. She took the opportunity to sweep down and pick a Falmer sword off the ground, and rose swinging it. She downed all but one Betrayed and snickered as it prodded at her with a blunt spear, slapping it away with her blades almost playfully. The creature seemed to know she was mocking it, and dipped the spear below her blade and with a roar, hit her hard in the mouth. Bran leaped from behind her and knocked the Falmer down, tearing at its throat.

Alessia felt around her teeth with her tongue to see if any were loose, then bared a crimson-tinged grin at Serana before spitting a gob of blood at her feet.

Serana ground her teeth angrily and handed a cure poison potion to Alessia, examining her for wounds as she drank. She gasped as she saw a large gash across the thief's torso just under her ribs, and dug the strongest health potion she had out of her pack.

"Are you well?" Serana asked after the thief drank the potion and the bleeding stopped.

"Well enough," Alessia replied, bending to find her dagger among the corpses amassed around her.

Serana grabbed her by the shoulder and whipped her around, then slapped her soundly across her cheek. "Don't you EVER do that again! You could have died!"

Alessia gaped at her, one hand to her face. She looked sheepish for a moment, but then the hard look reappeared. She turned her head and spit another blood-tinged wad of saliva at the floor, then met Serana's gaze with cold eyes. "Loot what you think we need, then we should move on," she growled.

The vampire watched as Alessia walked over to the wall and slid down to the floor, glaring fiercely at a spot between her feet.

Serana sighed and did as she was told.

…

A short while later, when Serana had finished looting bodies and removing the ears from the Falmer for potions, she yelled to the thief that she was ready to move on. Alessia rose and aimed a feral smile at the pile of the Betrayed, which caused Serana to start doubting her mental sanity. Shaking her head, she fell into step behind Alessia, who had jumped down several ledges towards the bottom of the camp. Ahead of them in between the rows of the now-empty Falmer huts, they caught a glimpse of a glowing ghostly figure and they knew they had finally reached the last of the wayshrines.

"Welcome, Initiate. You have reached the Wayshrine of Radiance," the ghostly prelate said. "Are you prepared to walk the Path of Enlightenment that will guide you to the Inner Sanctum?"

"Yes," Alessia replied.

"Then proceed into the wayshrine, my child," the prelate said as it cast a spell on the symbol on top of the half-buried domed structure.

The shrine rose and revealed the opening. Alessia went inside and used the Ewer to draw the water from the basin for the last time.

"May the blessings of Auri-El protect you as you follow the road to the Inner Sanctum and the final stage of enlightenment," the prelate whispered to them as they took the path to a road up ahead.

The path opened up to an ornate stone bridge with delicate carvings and they spotted a magnificent Ayleid-like temple in the distance. It towered over the treetops and glittered in the afternoon sun.

Alessia reached the courtyard first, standing in front of a bronze statue in silence.

"That is Auriel," Serana commented in hushed tones. "This is all so beautiful!"

They had reached the Inner Sanctum at last.

…


	30. Chapter 30

_**Many thanks to our awesome reviewers: Deception is Decepticon, CouslandSpitFire, KnightOfHolyLight, Graymalkyn, Ravenwiccn, and MB18932. You guys rock! :D **_

_**A long chapter, but hopefully one that you all will love as much as we do! **_

_**As usual, our disclaimer: Bioware and Bethesda own! :D **_

Chapter 30

The Inner Sanctum was cold – incredibly so. It didn't make much sense, even though they were high in the mountains. Serana felt that this was the Arch-Curate's doing and glanced at Alessia, whose breath rose in opaque puffs in the chilly air as she looked around.

The walls were encased in ice and all around the corridors were ice statues of Falmer and Chaurus, the whole place giving off an eerie bluish glow. Their footsteps echoed against the icy stone floor and Alessia stopped in front of one of the frozen Falmer, for the amulet it was holding had caught her eye.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you," Serana said with a frown on her face.

Alessia shrugged at this and grasped the amulet, yanking it from the frozen hand of its owner. At that moment the whole ice statue shattered, and the ice fell away to reveal a living Falmer who attacked them.

Bran attacked the Falmer at the same time Alessia did, while Serana cursed under her breath and readied a drain health spell. She needn't have bothered, for Bran had already toppled the creature onto the floor and Alessia had stabbed him with her sword.

"I –"Serana began, but Alessia whirled around to face her and lifted a hand, interrupting her.

"Don't."

Serana kept quiet and they continued their walk, arriving at a large area that had a circular shrine of some kind with frozen Falmer all around it. The whole scene looked like it had been frozen in time and it was so quiet, they could hear Bran panting.

The vast numbers of Falmer in this room that were all encased in ice glittered in the half-light. Alessia smiled as she saw they all held either some type of weapon, scroll or amulet and she strolled around picking the items she wanted and killing whatever came to life. By the time she was done, she was laughing out loud.

Serana simply sighed and followed her as she left the room and continued to walk deeper inside the building with Bran at her heels.

…

They reached another section of the Inner Sanctum soon enough by jumping down a frozen ledge. As they ventured down the corridor, it became apparent that they were drawing near, as there were even more frozen Falmer along the way. Serana waited for Alessia to start taking items from them, but on closer inspection she noticed that these Falmer weren't holding any items at all.

"We're getting close," Serana ventured to say. "This area is different from the rest of the Sanctum."

Alessia said nothing to this but tensed, unsheathing her weapons. They had reached a gate that she quickly opened silently and they could make out a throne at the very end of the room they found themselves standing in. Sitting on the throne was a Snow Elf, and Alessia immediately knew this was Arch-Curate Vrythur.

The whole scene before them was quite surreal. Apart from the hundreds of frozen Falmer and the whole place glowing with a bluish-white color, there was a freezing fog that covered the entire icy floor. The throne itself was separated from the rest of the room by glacier-like spikes protruding from the floor. Past the spikes, Alessia could see a set of icy stone steps leading right up to it.

Alessia continued walking, crossing the large room until she was standing in front of the icy steps and the spikes. Arch-Curate Vyrthur smiled down at them for the briefest of seconds.

"Did you really come here expecting to claim Auriel's Bow? You've done exactly as I predicted and brought your fetching companion to me. Which, I am sorry to say, means your usefulness is at an end!" The Snow Elf shouted down at them.

At that moment the dozens of Frozen Chaurus in the room broke free from their icy prisons and attacked.

…

Anders closed the book he had been writing in and smiled at Tolfdir before turning to gaze at four apprentices standing before him.

"Welcome to the College of Winterhold," he smiled warmly. "You will begin your classes after Faralda," he nodded at the elven mage, "takes you around the College and shows you where you will be sleeping. You will then make your way back to the Hall of the Elements behind me where you will start your first lessons. Magic is a precious gift, which you must learn how to master. We will do our best to ensure that this happens."

The four apprentices smiled nervously and left the foyer, following Faralda.

"I should get to the Hall of the Elements, Arch-Mage, before the apprentices arrive," Tolfdir smiled.

"Is there anything I should be aware of?" Anders asked.

Tolfdir nodded. "There is a matter that has come to our attention. It seems that the Eye of Magnus did cause a lot of trouble before it was taken away by the Psijic Monks."

"What do you mean?" Anders frowned. "What trouble?"

"Magical disturbances that are threatening the nearby cities, Arch-Mage," Tolfdir responded with a worried frown. "I thought about sending Faralda and Colette to deal with the problem."

Anders shook his head immediately, suppressing a smile. It was obvious that Tolfdir was clueless about what happened in the College on an everyday basis. Faralda and Colette together would cause mayhem for sure as they didn't get along at all. "No, I will take care of the problem myself, Tolfdir. Where should I go to deal with the disturbances?"

"One of these places is just south of Dawnstar – not too far away. The other reports indicate trouble to the west of Solitude," Tolfdir replied immediately.

"I'll leave tomorrow at daybreak," Anders smiled. Tolfdir smiled back and excused himself as he turned to open the gates to the Hall of the Elements, while Anders opened the double doors that led to the Arch-Mage quarters to pack for the journey and get a good night's sleep.

…

Serana knelt beside Alessia with a worried frown, handing her a cure poison potion. "Come on," she whispered gently. "I have a feeling this is just the beginning."

Alessia downed the potion immediately and stood on her feet, defiantly placing herself in front of Serana and glared up at the Snow Elf angrily.

"An impressive display of your prowess, but a wasted effort!" the Arch-Curate yelled, visibly agitated. "You delay nothing but your own deaths!" The Snow Elf stood and focused, then lifted his hands upwards. The ceiling began to crack and rumble and both Serana and Alessia barely had time to dive out of the way before great chunks of ice came tumbling down to where they had been standing. Alessia turned to look back with fear in her eyes, but a sigh of relief escaped her lips when she saw that Bran had leaped out of the way as well, and was standing on the other side of the room, making his way towards them both over the huge chunks of ice.

At that moment, a few frozen Falmer broke free of the ice imprisoning them and attacked the trio. More Chaurus also woke from the ice spell they were under and lunged at them.

The battle that ensued was more difficult than most, due to the poison the Chaurus were constantly spitting out in great quantities. Alessia kept rolling and dodging, but Bran was poisoned and fell to the ground just as he was jumping at one of the venomous insects. Alessia gave a sharp cry and killed the Chaurus she had been fighting, hurrying over to where Bran lay, already digging in her pack for a Cure Poison potion.

Serana successfully dealt with the last Falmer and killed the last of the Chaurus as Alessia forced fed a potion down the dog's throat. After a few moments, Bran recovered and groggily wagged his tail at her.

"You're merely prolonging the inevitable!" Vyrthur shouted from his throne, the sneer on his face tingeing his words with disdain. "You honestly believe you can defeat me?"

He unfroze a wave of dozens of Falmer who attacked, but this time they were ready for them. Alessia took care of the first that reached them, while Serana launched a ranged attack on a few that rushed to where they were standing. Bran bit any Falmer that came into view.

Unfortunately, the Arch-Curate quickly unfroze a second wave of Falmer – and this time there were powerful Falmer mages in the group. What was worse was that while fighting, Serana had been driven farther and farther away from Alessia. Bran was also pushed out of the way, and soon Alessia was fighting a group of about a dozen all on her own.

Serana froze the entire group that was attacking her, and glanced over to where Alessia was fighting, a concerned look on her face that turned to relief. Alessia had not only managed to disentangle herself from the Falmer, she had cast Subterfuge and the Falmer were now fighting one another.

"No!" Vyrthur screamed. "This has gone long enough!" Extending his hands before him, he focused - his brow furrowed in concentration. A few moments later, a purple oval shimmered in front of the steps leading to the throne and an Ancient Frost Atronach materialized from it.

"Your life will end here for what you have done!" Serana called out to him.

"Child, my life ended long before you were born!" the Snow Elf shot back at her.

The Ancient Frost Atronach attacked Alessia, who was already enraged. She gave a blood-curdling scream and dodged its attack, diving to the floor to roll and stand on the other side. Serana quickly looked in her pack and found a scroll with a potent fire spell on it. She uttered the incantation, pointing directly at the massive atronach and the whole area where it was standing burst into flames. Alessia slashed at it while the fire consumed it.

"No!" Vyrthur yelled. "I won't let you ruin centuries of preparation!"

"Give it up, Vyrthur! Give us the bow!" Serana shouted.

"Death first!" Vyrthur quickly responded, as he brought the rest of the ceiling upon the trio and fled out of the room.

…

"Alessia! Wake up!" Serana's voice cut through the darkness, making Alessia open her eyes and squint up at her. Her face swam in and out of focus and she closed her eyes again for a few moments. "Vyrthur is outside."

At those words, Alessia opened her eyes wide. Serana's face no longer was out of focus and she sat up, groaning moments later as the blood rush made her head throb.

"What happened?" Alessia asked in a low voice, rubbing a hand over her face. "I feel like the whole roof fell on my head." Turning around she noticed the debris of fallen stone and ice and pursed her lips.

Serana snorted. "Probably because it did. Let's go get Vyrthur and end this!"

Bran's furry face came into her line of vision and licked her face, which caused her to smile briefly.

Alessia stood up shakily and Serana's firm grip steadied her. A short while later, she stretched, then reached into her backpack, swallowing the contents of a health potion. She took another potion out, uncorked it and knelt beside Bran, emptying the contents into her cupped hand. Bran lapped it up quickly, looking up at her adoringly.

"You need to be more careful, my friend. You could have died!" Alessia whispered. The dog paused in his drinking, and met her gaze with sad eyes. He stared at her for a moment, then uttered a low snort before finishing the potion. Alessia sighed and scratched his head, knowing exactly what the intelligent animal was telling her and nodded, secretly promising him to be a little more careful herself.

Once outside, they saw that Vyrthur was kneeling in the middle of a balcony overlooking the entire Forgotten Vale. Serana hurried towards the kneeling figure as Alessia took a moment to look at the scenery before her. Misty mountain tops rose around them, sparse greenery accentuating the craggy slopes. A waterfall babbled in the distance though its relaxing song could not be heard.

As soon as Serana reached the Snow Elf, she snarled angrily and grabbed his armor at the sides of his neck, lifting him up.

"Enough, Vyrthur. Give us the bow!" she exclaimed.

"How dare you! I was the Arch-Curate of Auri-El, girl! I had the ears of a god!"

"Until the 'Betrayed' corrupted you. Yes, yes. We've heard the whole story," Serana retorted, still sounding annoyed.

The Snow Elf smiled slyly, his red eyes glinting in the morning light. "Gelebor and his kind are easily manipulated fools. Look into my eyes, Serana. _You _tell me what I am…"

Alessia saw Serana gasp and immediately let go of Vyrthur. She moved closer to Serana protectively, but Vyrthur chose to ignore her, and Serana had her gaze fixed on the Snow Elf, her eyes wide with shock.

"You're…you're a…vampire? But Auriel should have protected you!" Serana cried in astonishment.

"The moment I was infected by one of my own Initiates, Auri-El turned his back on me. I swore I'd have my revenge, no matter what the cost," the Arch-Curate spat out.

Serana shook her head. "You want to take revenge …on a _god_?"

"Auri-El himself may have been beyond my reach, but his influence on our world wasn't. All I needed was the blood of a vampire and his own weapon, Auriel's Bow," Vyrthur snarled.

Alessia's eyes widened with the realization that Vyrthur had been the one behind all the madness they had been through. The anger started at the bottom of her stomach and slowly began to rise to the surface.

"You!" Serana cried out, her hands glowing softly as she readied her spells. "You created the prophecy!"

"A prophecy that lacked a single, final ingredient…the blood of a pure vampire. The blood of a Daughter of Coldharbour," Vyrthur replied, smiling sardonically.

Alessia unsheathed her blades, her eyes shooting daggers at Vyrthur. Beside her, Bran growled, his hackles raised.

"Too bad for you…" Serana said quietly. "I intend to keep my blood. Now, let's see if _your_ blood has any power to it!" Serana extended her hands in front of her and cast a drain health spell on Vyrthur, just as Alessia slashed at him with her blades and Bran leapt on the Arch-Curate, nearly sending him over the balcony railing into the valley below. Vrythur, however, was not a weak vampire and quickly recovered, immediately summoning a Frost Atronach to help him with the battle. Turning slightly, he cast a powerful drain life on Alessia, causing her to slump to the floor on her knees. In the next few seconds, he flung Bran away and the dog yelped as it landed on the stairs.

"You'll pay for that!" Alessia shouted angrily, unsteadily rummaging inside her pack for a couple of potions.

Vyrthur burst out laughing as he transformed into a thick mist that swirled around Serana, who backed away quickly. The Frost Atronach lunged itself at Serana, and she was forced to use an invisibility spell to evade its attack.

Meanwhile, Alessia took advantage of the confusion that Serana's sudden invisibility had caused and moved in to attack again. This time she succeeded in stabbing the Snow Elf, who screamed in pain and also vanished, using his vampiric invisibility to divert the attention from himself and recover.

Alessia saw Serana materialize and cast an electricity spell on the Frost Atronach, which bellowed angrily when it saw the object of its initial fury. Bran jumped up, causing the atronach to stagger. Alessia quickly ducked out of view as she crept behind the Daedra and stood up behind it, mortally wounding it. The Daedra screamed as it vanished and Vyrthur materialized on the opposite end of the balcony.

The two women turned and focused on Vyrthur. Serana began hitting him with a drain health spell, but used her other hand to cast a powerful ice spell on the Snow Elf. Alessia quickly lunged at the Arch-Curate, wounding him and making him stumble and fall on his knees. Smiling savagely, she stabbed him in the chest and Vrythur slithered to the floor, gasping for breath.

"No!" Vrythur panted. The snow elf then raised his eyes to the heavens and muttered, "Forgive me, Auri-El." Alessia watched the life slowly leave his eyes, and just before it was gone, brought her sword in an arc, decapitating him.

The dome-like structure in the middle of the courtyard behind Serana and Alessia, which was clearly another wayshrine, suddenly rumbled and rose out of the stone floor. Then, Knight-Paladin Gelebor stepped out of it, turning to look at them with a serious expression.

…

"So the deed has been done," Gelebor said sadly, gazing at the headless corpse at his feet. "The restoration of this wayshrine means that Vyrthur must be dead and the Betrayed no longer have control over him."

"The Betrayed weren't to blame," Alessia told him, shaking her head.

"What? What do you mean they weren't to blame?" the Knight-Paladin quickly asked.

"He was a vampire," Alessia replied. "_He_ controlled _them_."

Gelebor's eyes widened slightly in surprise. After a few moments of silence, he seemed to get a grip on himself and nodded finally accepting the truth. "I see. That would explain much. Deep down inside it actually brings me joy that the Betrayed weren't to blame for what happened here."

"Why do you say that?" Alessia inquired curiously. "I thought you didn't like the Betrayed…"

"Because that means there is still hope that they might one day shed their hatred and learn to believe in Auri-El again," the Snow Elf said. "It's been a long time since I felt that way and it's been long overdue. My thanks, to both of you."

"You're welcome," Alessia said, her voice gentle for once. Serana quickly glanced at her, but she was looking at Gelebor, ignoring anything else for the moment.

"You risked everything to get Auri-El's Bow, and in turn, you've restored the Chantry. I can't think of a more deserving champion to carry it than you. If you wish to learn more about the bow's special powers, or obtain some special arrows for it, I'd be more than happy to help. You've but to ask."

With those words, Gelebor stepped to one side, gesturing towards the wayshrine behind him. Instead of the usual stone basin in its center, this wayshrine had a stone pedestal. Hovering above the pedestal, shining brightly in the morning light was Auriel's Bow. Alessia moved forward in a trance-like state, stepping into the wayshrine slowly. When she took the shimmering golden-white bow, she felt it quiver gently under her touch and Alessia smiled.

…

After learning the power of the bow and obtaining the special Sunhallowed Arrows for it, they were on their way again, travelling to the Forgotten Vale using the wayshrines to leave the place.

"I think we should go back to Isran," Serana offered when they set up camp outside Darkfall Cave. "He should know we were successful."

"I agree," Alessia murmured, finishing her dinner and washing it down with some mead. She left Serana sitting in front of the fire and went to the stream that ran nearby to wash up, returning a few minutes later.

"Alessia, I really would like to talk to you about what happened at Honeyside," Serana offered tentatively with a worried frown. "You truly are mistaken about Anders because –"

"I don't want to talk," Alessia said curtly. She then turned towards the tent, pausing only to wish Serana a good night.

"Then you leave me no choice," Serana whispered to the flames crackling before her.

…

Alessia, Serana and Bran arrived at Fort Dawnguard six days later. Alessia turned to Serana before anyone knew they were in the foyer.

"I need to improve Auriel's bow and temper the metal so that it does more damage when shooting. I'd also like to give the schematics to Sorine, so we're heading towards the forge."

Serana nodded at this silently as Bran once again made his way back to the kennels where he was kept. She followed Alessia and made no comment to anything. As a matter of fact, she was so deep in thought that she didn't hear Sorine greeting her.

Alessia elbowed her and she started, glancing up at Sorine who was smiling at her.

"Oh, sorry. I was…kind of lost in thought there," she mumbled, and quickly greeted the Breton woman who was extremely happy because Alessia had given her the schematics to improve their crossbows. Alessia approached Gunmar and asked if he had any refined moonstone in stock. She quickly purchased an ingot and proceeded to work at the forge and did not stop until the bow had been properly tempered.

When Alessia was done, she smiled at Gunmar as she passed him and walked back into the fort with Serana trailing after her. They soon ran into Isran who nodded at Alessia, then noticed the bow in her hands.

"You're back," he said in his gravelly voice. He glanced down at the bow and asked if it was indeed Auriel's Bow.

"It is," Alessia replied with a small smile.

"Then we have the advantage over the vampires at last," Isran breathed out with relief. "Do you know how to use it so that we can finally win this war?"

Alessia nodded. "I'll explain everything on the way. We need to get to Volkihar Castle as soon as possible and put an end to all this," she added. "I suggest we set out at daybreak tomorrow."

"I agree," Isran replied. "I'll tell everyone to meet us at the circular hall tomorrow at daybreak. Go get some rest."

…

Anders smiled to himself as he sat at a desk in the room he had rented at the Windpeak Inn. The Dawnstar people were friendly enough, but something didn't quite sit well with him here; the villagers spoke among themselves about nightmares. He pushed the feeling of uneasiness away for the moment and focused on what he had just done. Taking out a leather-bound journal that contained the records of the College from his backpack, he started writing in it.

The magical anomalies that had been released from the power of the orb had caused a disturbance next to a temple overlooking the town. He had had to deal with no less than three frost trolls to get to the magical disturbance, but it had been easy for him because he had learned the Sun Fire spell from the book that Alessia had given him...well, _thrown_ at him. The spell itself hadn't been difficult to master. It had stunned the beasts while he finished them off with a couple of Incinerate spells that he had learned back at the College.

He closed the book with a sigh once he was done. The image of Alessia popped up in his head, just like it always did and he shook his head, the ache in his heart making it hard to even breathe properly. Struggling to get a grip on himself, he quickly opened his pack, stuffed the book inside and took out his dinner. He hoped that something to eat and drink would relieve his suffering, lulling him for the night. He really had to get at least a few hours' sleep because Solitude was three days away and he needed to be wide awake for the journey.

That did not turn out to be the case.

As he lay on the bed, his heart ached for her. The ache wasn't because he wanted her physically either. He ached for her smile and gentleness. For her kindness and understanding. For the concern she had for everyone's well-being. His heart ached for _HER_. For the woman Alessia was. It was no use denying his feelings any longer, Maker help him.

He had fallen totally and completely in love with her.

And he would never stop loving her, either.

Ever.

…

Isran waited until all the members of the Dawnguard were standing around him and Alessia in the circular hall of the fort before he began to speak.

"For too long we've allowed these vampires to poison the night and kill our people! Now we finally have the means to strike back! We now have Auriel's Bow. The gods themselves have favored us and we must answer with action!" Isran shouted, his voice bouncing off the stone walls. "The time has come to finally destroy those wretched abominations so they can no longer corrupt our world! This is our fight, and this is our fate! This is the time of the Dawnguard!"

Isran brandished his axe as he ended his rallying speech and everyone in the fort erupted into cheers and applauses.

"We march to the north of Solitude! Prepare your things and meet me back here!" Isran barked. Almost instantly, the members of the Dawnguard disappeared to ready for the journey.

"I guess this is it," Serana said quietly beside Alessia.

"Are you alright?" Alessia inquired, momentarily forgetting everything else that was happening and focusing on Serana.

"Yes, I am," Serana nodded. "I know we must kill my father. I have come to terms with that. Thank you for asking, though."

Alessia nodded back. Some of the members of the Dawnguard were already returning and they stood around waiting for the rest. As soon as they were all once again assembled in the great circular hall, Isran snarled out a command for them to set off and they obeyed.

Bran barked at Alessia, seemingly excited to be setting off to war.

"I think I'm beginning to like your dog," Serana said. "He's so aware of everything that happens around him!"

…

They reached the jetty that had the boats that would take them to Volkihar Castle five days later. Alessia quickly caught up with Isran and stopped him before he could get on one of the boats.

"It's night time now. We should rest and wait for daybreak," she said.

"Why should we wait?" Isran shot back at her, frowning.

"The power of Auriel's Bow works better during the day. If I aim it directly at the sun with one of the special arrows I have, it will create bursts of light and kill any undead around," Alessia explained hurriedly. "This means that if we are attacked on our way inside the castle, the bow will effectively take care of all the undead creatures that come out to attack us, which will give us an advantage. Not to mention, the vampires are awake now. We should hit them when they are weakest."

"I see," Isran said with a smile. "Then I will let everyone know and ask them to get a good night's sleep. I'll take the first watch with Gunmar."

Alessia nodded, turning back to talk to Serana, but Serana was nowhere to be found. She quirked an eyebrow, but shrugged moments later and got busy as she set up the tent. Bran gave a happy bark beside her and she gave her faithful companion a sweet smile.

"Don't worry," she told the dog. "I'll set this up in no time and then I'll get you your dinner."

…

Under the cover of darkness, Serana had transformed into a swarm of bats and flew off in the direction of Winterhold. She changed into her human form at entrance to the College of Winterhold and quickened her pace as she made her way directly to the library.

"Hello," Urag nodded politely at her. "Was there a book you wanted today?"

"I'm here to talk to Anders. Have you seen him?" Serana asked pleasantly.

"The Arch-Mage?" Urag shook his head. "He left for Dawnstar first and then for Solitude. He might still be in Solitude if you hurry."

"Thanks," Serana said, smiling as she turned to leave the room. As soon as she exited the College, she transformed into the bats again and rushed back to Solitude, materializing moments later very close to the city gates.

…

Anders peeled off the robes of the Arch-Mage and threw them over a chair before sitting at the desk in Proudspire Manor. After taking a few moments to gather his thoughts of what had happened earlier during the day, he dipped a quill into the inkpot and began to scratch away at the parchment in his journal to catalogue everything for the College.

"Fancy robes for a fool," a voice said from behind, startling him to drop the quill. He spun in his seat to face the voice, his hands crackling with readied spells.

"Oh, put those away," Serana said haughtily as she stepped into the light of the sconce beside him. "I've only come here to talk."

The light surrounding his hands went out, but he stayed ready. "About what?"

"Alessia," the vampire said simply as she neared, then leaned her hip into the desk, crossing her feet at her ankles nonchalantly.

The name alone brought both happy and sad moments to mind. "What about her?" Anders asked, annoyed. "She left me. To help you."

Serana snorted and crossed her arms over her chest as she looked down at him. "Don't lie to me as you do to yourself, mage. You know full well why she helped me, and we've almost ended the vampire war because of it. She _left you_ because a naked woman barged in on your awkward reunion."

Anders cursed under his breath. "I never wanted anything from that woman other than her help with College business! After Alessia…after our fight, I found out what an awful person Mjoll is, and I regret asking her for help," Anders said, seeming to curl in on himself at the last. After a moment, he sat up straight, staring at Serana. "What about Alessia? Has anything happened to her?"

At this, Serana seemed to turn inward as he had before. "I'm…worried about her."

"Why?" Anders asked, his eyes flashing blue momentarily as he struggled to keep in control.

Serana seemed to fall apart, running a hand through her hair and pacing away from him. "After that…night in Riften, she's not herself! She doesn't stay to the shadows as she did before in battle, she just walks in confidently, like nothing can hurt her! It's like she's got this crazy bloodlust; she just waltzed into a horde of Falmer like it was nothing. She almost died from their poison then just drank a potion and pushed on…and what she did to them! She broke one of their own axe blades in a Falmer's skull. Gods, you should have seen her after we were attacked when she read the Scrolls. Just…stabbing and screaming. Then she just smiled at me, with blood running down her face!"

Anders's glare turned to a worried look as she spoke. "She's angry," he surmised.

"It's more than that!" Serana turned to him with a pained look and swallowed hard. "I think…I think she doesn't care anymore whether she lives or dies."

"Why are you here? I can't fix it," Anders said, sadly.

Serana shook her head as she walked up to him. "I'm not going to say all of this isn't my fault by separating you, I own that. That home wrecker you got to help you was only part of it…"

"Just tell me!" Anders exclaimed loudly, very close to desperation.

Serana gripped his shoulders and shook him angrily. "She loves you, fool! That amazing, beautiful, caring woman loves you and you just let her walk away! You could have fixed this!"

As the words sank in, Anders felt a ray of hope and the need for Alessia grew so great, he had a hard time sitting still. He glanced up at Serana, and was taken aback. Putting his feelings aside for the moment, he searched the vampire's frantic eyes and instantly knew the truth. "You love her, don't you?" he whispered gently.

Serana released his shoulders and turned her head. After a moment, she faced him, a dark red film covering her glowing eyes. The film coalesced to form a bloody tear that trailed down her porcelain face. She nodded.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked quietly, his own tears threatening to fall.

Serana sighed, more crimson tears spilling down her face. "When the sun rises tomorrow, the Dawnguard marches on Volkihar with Alessia at its head. My father and his minions may very easily…" she sobbed, and was quiet for a moment as she recollected herself to speak. "The way she has been fighting, I fear that regardless of how hard I fight, she will die against them."

She wiped her face violently with a gauntleted arm, smearing the blood drops falling from her eyes across her cheeks, turning her beautiful features into a gory mask. "I will fight to the death to keep her alive, but she will never love me, mage. I thought it would be a favor to her memory for me to tell you how she feels if the worst should befall her."

They stared at each other for a moment in silence before she spoke again, grasping his shoulder tightly in one hand as she wiped her face again with the other. "I have an eternity to live and think about her and what could have been. You mortals think your short lifespan is the existence of everything."

Anders could not control himself any longer and started to weep as he listened, the pain in his heart nearly choking him.

"Don't waste what little you have," Serana finished sadly, before her form dissipated to a swarm of bats and flew out the window.

…

Alessia stared into the flames, unable to sleep. Bran twitched in his slumber beside her and she smiled briefly, her eyes gentle in the light of the fire as she looked down upon him. Serana passed next to her and sat down quietly.

"You were gone for quite a while," Alessia muttered without taking her eyes off the flames.

Serana shrugged. "I walked around and had something to eat. Nothing human, so don't worry," she replied, the monotone with which she spoke causing Alessia to look up at her sharply. The vampire let a sigh escape her lips. "I think I'll just go walk around some more if it's alright with you. I just need to be alone."

Alessia nodded and Serana got up and left her.

The stillness of the night was only interrupted by the occasional noises the fire made before her and Bran's gentle snore. Alessia looked down at the animal and sighed; remembering their 'conversation', then rose and went into her tent. She retrieved her armor and repair kit, and her whetstone. She let the night drift away as she focused on sewing shut the holes in her armor, sharpening her blades afterwards. _Bran needs me_, she thought, looking down at him - his feet twitching as he chased after some other animal in his dreams.

Alessia kept working and sighed when the image of Anders came to her unbidden. She tried to desperately think of anything else, but failed miserably. She stared down at her belongings, trying to find something else to do. Her armor was sound. Her blades were sharpened and polished. The sky in the horizon was beginning to lighten from black to slate gray and she knew the sun would rise soon. There was nothing else to do to prepare.

Giving herself a mental shake, she stood up, desperately wondering if a stroll would lessen the pain she was feeling. At that moment, a twig cracked somewhere on her left and she turned quickly, stooping to pick up her sword. Recognizing the figure approaching her, her heart caught in her throat and a gasp escaped her lips as the blade fell from her hand.

Anders stopped right in front of her, looking lovingly into her eyes, his heart hammering in his chest from the thrill of seeing her. The light of the fire made her fiery hair look golden and bounced off her eyes which were brimming with tears. He gave a strangled gasp and swept her into her arms and she clung to him, sobbing. Rocking her gently, he hushed her as his own tears spilled down into his cheeks and into her hair, then desperately sought her lips in a passionate kiss.

Alessia felt her whole being melting into him, and the ache in her heart disappeared as she kissed him back fervently, the sweetness of the kiss invading her very soul, slowly healing it and giving it a new lease on life.

Anders broke the kiss first, lifting her up in his arms, his eyes shining softly in the firelight with love and adoration for her.

"I love you," he whispered. "And I'm never going to let you go."

…


	31. Chapter 31

_**A/N from moosesaregreat: Hello, dear readers! It's been some time since I wrote the note. How have you been? **_

_**We'd like to thank Ravenwiccn, MB18932, KnightOfHolyLight, Graymalkyn, AnaOakenshield, CouslandSpitFire, and PheonRen for the fabulous reviews and also to those who have followed/favorited Whispers in the Dark. You are ALL fantastic!**_

_**Sooo…about this chapter. It's long. Like, super-long. Twice as long as some of our others have been. Tons of stuff happens, and we hope you enjoy it! It was a lot of fun to write. That last sentence is going to make me seem very strange because-**_

_****EXTREMELY MATURE CONTENT, POSSIBLE TRIGGERS DUE TO SEXUAL ABUSE, SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND RAPE** If you feel this will upset you, please skip the section labeled 'ALESSIA', and continue after the break.**_

_**A/N from Alyssacousland: Hey guys… just wanted to mention that Cassandra nearly wrote the complete chapter, as I've been really sick again. Not only is she an awesome writer, but a great friend. I would just like to point out that this chapter is thanks to her! :D You totally rock, my dear friend! :D **_

Chapter 31

Alessia smiled at Anders, tears of happiness running down her cheeks. Anders wiped them away tenderly and held her closely.

From the shadows behind a rock, Serana observed with a bittersweet smile on her face. She felt devastated at what she was seeing - that much was true. But seeing Alessia happy and knowing that she would be more careful in the upcoming battle was well worth it. She turned away and made her way towards Isran who had just come out of his tent.

"Daylight approaches," Isran told her. "Are you sure you will be able to confront your father?"

"Yes," Serana nodded. "I have come to terms with it and I will not fail."

"Maybe Alessia wasn't wrong about you after all," Isran said, walking towards Alessia who was laughing at something Anders was saying.

"I wanted to ask you if I should wake everyone. The sun is rising," Isran asked Alessia, nodding at Anders.

"Yes. We must make haste and get on the boats to cross the sea to the castle," Alessia agreed. "I'll have Auriel's Bow ready."

"What is the plan?" Isran inquired, his brow furrowed.

"We gather on the docks below the castle and head up the stone walkway to the entrance all together. I will wait for the vampires to come out, and shoot an arrow directly at the sun. The bow's special powers will ensure that we are victorious. Then we must enter the castle where our real battle will begin," Alessia smiled, as Anders put his arms around her waist.

"We must attack, finish the vampires at the entrance, and enter the castle together then," Isran said, turning to head to the tents pitched around the jetty.

Alessia turned back to Anders, her smile rapidly turning to a grin. "We'll march and fight this war together," she said looking up at him with a loving expression that made his heart summersault. "Oh, and by the way…I love you too."

"I know," Anders murmured, capturing her lips for another kiss. When they surfaced for air, Anders's eyes caught sight of one of the armored trolls that was being led to the jetty by Gunmar.

"Now that's something I've never seen before in Thedas," he murmured his eyes wide with surprise.

"An armored troll," Alessia chuckled. "Gunmar trains them. In the wild they are vicious beasts and quite dangerous." She sighed happily. "Let's go and get this over with."

"I've got your back," Anders whispered. "Stay close to me, love."

…

Alessia stood on the stone bridge leading to the entrance, just before the first few gargoyle statues and waited. The sun had already risen but it was still early. She held Auriel's Bow in her hands, and tensed when she heard a scream coming from the Castle. Close behind her Anders also tensed, and Serana hissed a warning.

"They know and are coming! Get ready!" Serana's whisper floated to her ears as she moved away from the bridge and hid behind a rock near the docks – away from where Auriel's Bow could strike her down. Alessia's heart was hammering - the adrenaline inside her pumping as she nocked one of the Sunhallowed arrows and aimed directly at the Sun.

The vampires rushed to the middle of the bridge, eager to get their claws and fangs on the Dawnguard, their bloodlust completely muddling their brains. Alessia let the arrow go, and it flew directly to the yellow disc. What happened afterwards made the Dawnguard cheer as they watched. The bright bursts of sunlight and explosions set all the vampires on that stone bridge on fire, and burned them horribly. Their screams of pain were heard above the cries of triumph as the Dawnguard rushed by her and they finished the fiends. Gargoyles burst from their shells and uttered screams of pain as well, and in a few minutes, the corpses littered the length of the stone bridge.

Anders stepped beside Alessia, a lopsided grin on his face. "You still know how to make an entrance, love."

Alessia was giggling as Serana once again joined them with Bran at her heels.

"Let's go…," Alessia said to them both as she made her way to the entrance, "…the Dawnguard are already entering the castle."

…

It was mayhem inside. Anders picked a vampire who was slashing at one of the Dawnguard and flung an ice spell at it, then quickly chose another target, while keeping an eye on Alessia as she advanced to the middle of the room alongside Isran, fighting off the vampires in the room with him. One of them reached Alessia with its fangs bared and as Anders's electricity spell had it jerking around, Isran decapitated the monster swiftly before advancing a bit further into the room.

The armored trolls had attacked some Death Hounds and were happily pounding away, while Gunmar focused on a vampire, bashing it with his shield first to stun it. Serana was fighting another vampire with her sword, and suddenly cast a drain health spell on it, while Alessia slipped behind and backstabbed it, before disappearing into the shadows once more.

Anders looked around for her and his heart caught in his throat until he saw her at the other end of the room, still beside Isran. He rushed down the huge stairs, picking his way through the bodies to reach her and at that moment Lord Harkon himself appeared in the room, screaming obscenities at the Dawnguard and transforming into his hideous vampire lord form. Isran let out a battle cry that stunned the vampire he was fighting and attacked Lord Harkon who started laughing. Alessia took several steps back and ducked, becoming one with the shadows again, and Anders looked around frantically for her, turning at the last second to fry one of the vampires who had been stealthily advancing on him. He helped the rest of the Dawnguard, healing those that he could as he fought. He found Agmaer, the young farmer boy who Alessia had helped to teach how to use the crossbow, lying on the floor with glassy eyes staring at the ceiling and shook his head sadly. After a few moments he realized with some alarm that neither Isran nor Serana were in the room any longer.

…

Alessia followed Harkon's grotesque form from the shadows as he made his way to the cathedral of the castle. Gargoyle dotted pillars rose around the sides of the cathedral, the morning light casting its rays through small slits of the windows bathing the room in a murky yet ethereal light. In the center of the cathedral was a great fountain adorned with a massive horned skull, which instead of water had blood flowing from it, burbling softly. Serana entered the room and spotted her father immediately.

"So, you've returned," Harkon's voice echoed as he turned to face his daughter. "Is your…_pet _keeping you entertained?"

"You know why we're here," Serana answered softly. She was ready to kill her father if need be, but had secretly hoped all along that he could be saved. After having talked this much with him, she immediately realized that this would never happen.

"Of course I do. You disappoint me, Serana. You've taken everything I provided for you and thrown it all away for this…_pathetic_ half-breed of an elf."

"Provided for me? Are you insane?" Serana shot back angrily, the grip on her sword tightening almost painfully. "You've destroyed our family. You've killed other vampires. All over some prophecy we barely understand! No more, father! I'm done with you, and you will _not_ touch her!"

Harkon chuckled. "So, I see this dragon has fangs. Your voice drips with the venom of your mother's influence. How alike you've become!"

"No," Serana whispered, holding her sword and a spell ready. "Unlike her, I am not afraid of you. Not anymore."

Throughout the whole exchange, Alessia had been waiting behind a pillar with Auriel's Bow drawn. She could have easily shot the winged vampire at any time for Serana knew to jump away when necessary. However, Alessia realized that regardless how easily Serana said that she was ready to face her father; her friend needed closure as well. After hearing Serana's words, she loosed the arrow she had trained on Harkon. Nothing happened. The bow, arrow, her arrows and fingers all stayed still.

"And you…" Harkon growled and made a motion with his hand, magically pulling her out from her hiding spot. Splaying his fingers wide, her limbs obeyed his order, stretching outward and dropping her weapons as she involuntarily slid ever closer. "It appears I have _you_ to thank for turning my daughter against me. I knew it was only a matter of time before she'd return with hatred in her heart."

"Born of your own neglect," Alessia scoffed, now hanging motionless an arm's length away.

Harkon backhanded her hard, making Serana cry out and try to move to help – only to find that she was now paralyzed, just like Alessia was. "A small price to pay for the betterment of our kind!" Harkon roared.

"Unlike you, I actually care about Serana. I would never harm her," Alessia wheezed, the blood running from her nose to her lip, making the vampire lord's nostrils flare and pupils dilate.

"Enough of this! I grow weary of speaking to you and my traitorous daughter. I'll give you a single chance to turn the bow over to me. There will not be a second."

"No," Alessia sneered, then spat in Harkon's face.

Rather than lash out at her physically as she expected, Harkon laughed as he saw the bow not twenty feet away on the floor. "Well," he said slowly, a sardonic grin on his face. "It seems that I will get what I want either way…but first –"

He pushed Alessia down to her knees and walked over to Serana. Lifting his hand, he traced his claws down her face reverently. "You look just like your mother," he whispered softly, before lacing both hands around her throat and squeezing. Alessia could do nothing to help and shut her eyes tightly, but it did nothing to lessen the grizzly sounds of her friend's life being strangled from her. After a few minutes she heard the tell-tale thump of a body hitting the floor and she opened her eyes.

Harkon turned to look at Alessia, slowly stalking towards her with a feral look – the edges of his mouth quirked in a horrific smile. He waved a hand and her body rose, her feet barely touching the ground as she floated towards him. Grabbing a handful of her hair, he yanked her head back painfully. "And you, my dear Dragonborn…you are my prize," he purred licking her neck, all the way down to her collarbone.

Alessia yelled and fought against her invisible bonds as hard as she could until she felt his fangs pierce her skin.

…

Running down to the left where he had last seen them, Anders caught sight of a gate that had been opened and went through, trying to control the fear he was feeling so he could think. He heard a dog barking sharply as he searched hysterically for Alessia and paid it no mind until the animal was snarling and pulling at his robes. As he looked down, he realized it was the giant dog that followed Alessia around. "Do you know where she is?" he all but yelled at the dog, which barked again and took off down a hallway. He ran down dark corridors, following the animal as closely as he could and didn't even flinch when a vampire attacked, quickly hurling a fireball at the monster, followed by a strong electricity spell that fried it.

The dog led him to a pair of huge double doors and he ran through them skidding to a stop with a strangled cry when he saw the scene before him. The dog started to growl, but Anders didn't hear him.

Serana was on the floor unconscious, and Lord Harkon had Alessia in his arms with his face buried in the curve of her neck. The monster let go of her and her body struck the floor with a dull thud that made Anders gasp in alarm. The vampire's laughter filled the vast room, echoing until it was all he heard. Then Harkon slit his wrist and Anders watched in horror as the blood fell directly on Alessia's face, some of it running into her open mouth.

Harkon licked his lips with a rapturous smile as he now fixed his eyes on Anders. "Even if you slay me, mortal…_I win_," he laughed, gesturing at the still figure lying at his feet.

Anders gave a bloodcurdling scream, Justice literally bursting from within, the blue cracks along his face and body shining brightly like a beacon.

"You will die here today, fiend!" Justice boomed as he conjured up a Tempest spell upon the monster.

…

Serana's eyes opened, at first confused about where she was. She sat up, blinking her eyes. Anders was in front of her, and there was some kind of electricity storm going on, right over…

Her father!

In a rush she remembered what she was doing here and stood up shakily, ready to assist Anders in any way. Her eyes searched for Alessia as she moved behind Anders, her eyes finally making out a still form lying in front of the shrine, right next to her father. Serana's eyes widened as they recognized the figure and the blood running through her veins turned to ice as fear gripped her heart and squeezed it painfully.

_No! _

Anders's voice boomed again, and she noticed for the first time that his whole face and body was covered in light blue cracks and his eyes were glowing blue.

_What in Oblivion was going on here?_

"Serana! You would see your own father killed?" Her father screamed as he jerked around, the electricity from Anders's fatal spell holding Harkon in place and forcing him to dance.

"You will die!" Anders's voice boomed again, and flung another spell at Harkon.

Serana saw Anders's icy cold spell hit him, freezing him in place. Her father's icy figure conjured up the memory of the ice statues Alessia and she had encountered at the Inner Sanctum – an icy vapor emanating from the figure as it glinted in the half-light of the room.

Without waiting for Anders to finish him off, Serana yelled a war cry that would challenge any warrior and charged forward, sinking her sword into her father's chest. She felt a massive amount of magicka being pooled into Anders and jumped out of the way.

"Die!" Anders screamed again.

Serana watched as an electrical bolt ran through the ice-encased figure and suddenly the whole icy statue of Lord Harkon's form shattered, the floor now a bloody mess where the vampire lord had been standing.

Anders fell on his knees, panting – the blue light suddenly vanishing and Serana gave a cry as she ran forward, falling to her knees in front of Alessia's still form.

"No! Don't be dead, please!" Anders cried out as he reached the still figure on the floor and knelt beside Serana. He lifted Alessia's head gently, the tears brimming in his own eyes as he frantically searched for a pulse. It was there, but so slow he could barely feel it. "She's alive! Oh, thank the Maker!" The golden light of a healing spell enveloped them both before Serana grabbed his arm and cried out.

"Stop!" she screeched, the urgency of her actions making Anders pause.

"She will die if I don't heal her!" Anders said quickly, again calling forth a healing spell, his hand glowing golden once more.

"You don't understand!" Serana cried frantically. With a shaking hand, she pulled one of Alessia's eyelids back. The white of her eye was a jaundiced yellow-orange, her once bright ice-blue irises now crimson. "She's in the process of turning. Sanguinare vampiris is a disease that can't be cured conventionally when it's given from a pure blood, Anders. If you heal her now, she will be fully turned. I'm assuming my father did this. I was…unconscious, he…made her watch as he strangled me." She raised a hand tentatively to her throat and Anders noticed it was ringed with purple bruises and dribbles of blood where Harkon's claws had ripped her flesh open.

Regardless of his attentiveness to Alessia, the healer in him couldn't see that without doing something. He cradled Alessia's head with one arm, and raised his opposite hand to heal Serana. "So, what can we do? There has to be something. She'll die from blood loss if nothing else!"

"We have two options. The first, I think Alessia would hurt us both for, which is to heal her as a vampire then try to find the source of the rumor of someone who can change her back." Anders shook his head vehemently, making Serana smile slightly. "I didn't think so. I wouldn't do that to her either. The second option will be hard…keep feeding her Cure Disease potions and hope that they and her will can overcome it."

The grief-stricken look on his face saddened her. She realized that she had been right to go to him the night before. This man loved Alessia far more than she could ever aspire to. "I'm sorry, Anders. I tried to –"

"I know you did," Anders whispered, pressing his cheek to Alessia's cold forehead. "I'll take her elsewhere to heal, if she can. Find Isran and tell him Harkon is dead."

Serana murmured that she would and left the room. Bran whined softly and Anders turned back to the still form on the floor.

Now that he was left alone with her, he held her close tightly and pressed kisses to her brow. "Fight it, my love," he whispered, rocking her gently. "Please, fight like I know you can! We've only just found each other again, you can't leave me now! I love you so much, please fight!"

The sounds of his whispering pleas and Bran's whines echoed throughout the cathedral.

…

Alessia startled herself awake. She had been dreaming, but the dreams had all run together as if they were real. Only glimpses of the dream remained as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up on the edge of the bed. She groaned and rose to pour a glass of water. As she poured, the painted symbols on the pitcher caught her eye. Mother had made this pitcher on a whim after taking a pottery class.

_Mother_…

Ever since the funeral two weeks prior, Alessia had dwelled upon what little she knew of her father. He was a Nord; she knew that but not much else. She didn't need to know him, she never had. Mother had raised her to be self-sufficient, to be able to take care of herself-and at the end of her wasting illness, take care of Mother as well. She didn't need anyone to take care of her. No, this was out of pride. Pride in how Mother had raised her, and pride in how she had grown into a strong, capable woman without her father's presence. What she needed was to shove all of that in his face, regardless of how petty it was. She wanted to show this faceless father that even though she hadn't grown up with him there, she turned out pretty damn well.

Alessia had been thinking this for some time now, and after Mother had passed on, sold the alchemical shop to the owner of the bookstore next door. Today was the last day she could be here. As she gathered her things, she looked around sadly at the place where she had grown up. The marks Mother had made on the doorframe as Alessia grew stood out starkly against the blond wood. Perhaps those marks would rival those of another growing child one day, she didn't know. She didn't care. There was nothing for her here but memories, and she would keep those with her until the day she died. No, she would move on. She would move on and find this man who had made her a bastard, and the only place she could think of to find him was his homeland, Skyrim.

As she took the steps from the living area down into the shop, she heard a man's voice. She wasn't stealthy whatsoever, but she was aware that there was no one else here and knew sound wouldn't travel through the stones separating the shop from next door. This voice sounded like her mother's did, that time she had been swimming in the lake surrounding the city, far-away and indistinct…but Alessia knew this voice somehow. She couldn't put her finger on it, but knew the voice as well as she knew herself, and it seemed frantic and full of grief.

Alessia shook her head and finished readying herself for the journey to Skyrim. She was not a warrior or even rogue by any means-her attire and small belt-dagger may be the death of her there. But she had enough of the one thing she knew much about-potions. She knew it was cold there and over the last week had crafted many resist cold potions. She also had heard about the hostile environment, so had planned ahead and made many health and stamina potions as well. The bottles clinked around in her knapsack as she pulled the door open, giving one last mournful glance at the shop. So many memories. Mother had taught her to read at that table. Mother had taught her alchemy there in the back corner. Mother…

Alessia walked out of the shop into destruction. The door slammed shut behind her, though she didn't remember closing it and it refused to open once again when she turned around in horror trying to retreat. She gasped as she looked out around the Market District. The tall, proud buildings were now reduced to rubble-all except the shop behind her, which stood untouched. The beautiful white stone comprising the buildings of the Imperial City around her was singed and crumbling at her feet. The sky was alight with fire-bright plumes of yellow and orange chasing each other and roiling ferociously, with ominous dark clouds in the distance spitting lightning to the ground beyond the decimated city.

The lightning from the far-away clouds did not produce thunder. The only thing she heard was tortured screams from a distance. She shivered, but not from fright. The air was frigid and seemed as if it was pushing at her, trying to push her to the ground in subjugation to some unseen force. As she gazed around the ruined square, she gasped as she realized that the dark piles of undeterminable matter dotting the area were…people. Or, they had been. She stumbled toward the closest one and balked as she recognized the faces of people she knew. The bookstore owner she had sold the shop to stared up at her blankly, his body naked and abused. The general store's owner was tied to one of the columns surrounding the square, her face twisted in a mask of eternal fright as her blood pooled into the pile of bodies beneath her. The innkeeper's mouth seemed to move, screaming soundlessly for help as his head tumbled down the pile and landed at her feet.

Alessia's breath quickened as she took it all in, and she jumped when something brushed her hand. An Orc woman with glowing red eyes was standing beside her, her long tusk-like teeth dripping blood.

"You must be here to worship our Lord," she rasped, raising a disembodied arm that had been razed at the shoulder to her lips and suckled on the bloody joint for a moment before she smiled. "He will love to dominate someone as beautiful as you."

Alessia screamed and ran.

…

Serana didn't have to look far for Isran. He was standing in a room just outside the cathedral, looking down at a vampire corpse.

"Isran!" Serana called. "Alessia is down, my father paralyzed us both and strangled me. She is fighting for her life in the other room, and Anders and Bran are both with her."

"That is…most unfortunate," Isran replied with his gravelly voice. "Is your father –"

"Dead?" Serana finished the question for him. "Yes, he is. But that won't even mean much to me if Alessia dies or worse." She pursed her lips as she tried to keep the tears at bay and Isran immediately understood what had happened.

"She has been infected," he said sadly, then shook his head when Serana nodded. "This will not seem a victory at all if we lose her. You know what has to be done?"

"I do. Anders wanted to heal her completely, but I stopped him and showed him what she was turning into. She must fight against Molag Bal now, she must fight against the poison in her blood."

"You must administer Cure Disease potions to her every hour and we must trust that she will fight the disease. It is the only way to stop the complete transformation," Isran said. "She could be taken in a carriage to Fort Dawnguard, but it is too far away."

"She has a home here in Solitude. I'm thinking this is where Anders wants to take her," Serana said.

"We must hurry and help then. I shall call my men over to help him carry her," Isran said, walking away.

Serana turned back to the cathedral, opening the doors. The sound of Anders's cries for Alessia to fight and Bran's whines reached her ears and she clenched her jaw to keep from crying as she advanced into the room.

…

Alessia had hoped that the palace would offer succor from whatever plague had hit the city, but as she weeded her way through the graves surrounding the Elder Council's halls, she knew it was for naught. She saw more of the crimson eyed beings along the pathway, and slipped behind a headstone to hide. _The palace is in ruins and there are no guards around…where do I go?_ She rose from her hidey-hole after the snarling beings went by.

Looking up, she saw that even though the city lay dying, the statue of her namesake St. Alessia still stood. As she tried to gain courage from the proud monument before her, it flickered, changing to look like a different woman. The statue stood with flowing robes pooling at her feet and ravens upon her shoulders, pointing gracefully to the White Gold Tower where the mages lived. Alessia stared for a moment, knowing that she recognized this statue just like she had recognized the voice she had heard before.

She blinked and the effigy was a smashed ruin upon the ground. Confused, she looked around again and found that nothing else was different. Maybe the Nine was showing her the way? Alessia did not know, but chose to follow the route to the Tower.

As she drew near the giant wooden doors separating her from the tower, she was stopped by one of the red-eyed beings. Her dusky skin marked her as Dunmer, but her long fangs told differently. Alessia turned to flee and was stopped by another woman with glowing eyes, the same Orc in tattered clothing she had met before.

"Our Lord wants you," they said in unison, the Orc woman trying to grab her arm. Alessia yelled, and kicked her, grabbing for the dagger at her belt. The normal steel dagger was now an ebony one, and she felt a weight at her other side. She looked down and found not only a sword hanging from her belt, but that her tunic and trousers had changed into black leather armor.

She didn't have time to think about it before the Orc attacked her, gnashing her teeth. Alessia plunged the dagger into her chest and fire bloomed around it as she twisted slightly downward to pull the blade out. The Orc screeched as the fire consumed her and Alessia swung the sword, lopping off her head.

She stared at the fallen corpse, open- mouthed. _How did I know to do that?_

The Dunmer behind her shrieked, "You can't know! You are to be His Queen! Our Lord, he wants you!" she exclaimed, slinking down the steps from the door. "He will HAVE YOU!"

Alessia barely had time to pivot, but blocked the creature's advance. She ducked, kicking out her right heel and caught the Dunmer in the stomach with an audible "oof". The Dark Elf pulled a sword and shield from over her shoulder, clanging the blade into the shield tauntingly.

"I will take you out, meat! I will take you down and drag you to our master. Then he will want _me_ to be his Queen!" The glowing-eyed Dunmer charged, swinging her blade and Alessia turned the oncoming sword with hers, but the woman hit her in the face hard with her shield.

The woman laughed. "Why would that slut Nocturnal want you as a Champion? This lowly initiate will take you and be Queen!"

Alessia snarled and ducked beneath the Dunmer's shield and came up swinging. Her sword met that of the Dunmer's and she pushed it away. Now between her and her shield, Alessia smiled and plunged her dagger into her chest, twisting the blade to pull it out, and shoved it into her throat. The woman's mouth popped open and shut like a beached fish as she tried to speak, then she gurgled and fell to the ground.

Alessia stood panting for a moment before remembering the armor, weapons and her deftness in battle. _I'm just an apothecary's student…what the blazes was that?_

The statue with the ravens on her shoulders flickered in her mind, and Alessia pushed open the doors to the White Gold Tower.

…

"This dog…won't let me come in and out of the room easily!" Anders exclaimed, frowning at Bran who looked up at him, wagged his tail briefly then continued to sit at the door, blocking most of it successfully.

Serana smiled briefly at Anders then down at Bran, who had now lain down on the floor with his head between his paws, eyes glued on Alessia's figure lying on the bed.

"He won't either," Serana informed him as she stepped around the dog. "He's a Husky. He loves Alessia with a passion and will not leave her side. I'm guessing that in his dog brain, he is watching over her so that no enemy will reach her in this vulnerable state…"

Serana's voice trailed off as she looked at her friend, who was breathing heavily and still completely unconscious on the huge bed. Isran had helped carry her here the previous day and he had offered to stay at the nearby inn, but Anders had shaken his head. "I'm sure you have things to do. I'll send word to Fort Dawnguard the moment she wakes."

Isran had told Sorine and Gunmar and they had both nodded silently. But before they left, Sorine had arrived at Proudspire to say goodbye.

"We'll be waiting for the message. Take care of her," Sorine murmured, then she had turned and left the manor.

Anders now sighed as he remembered the last twenty-four hours. He had barely eaten and both he and Serana had been administering Cure Disease potions every hour while they waited patiently for Alessia to fight the disease. Alessia had shown no signs of improvement so far, but she was still breathing.

"Come on love, you can beat this!" Anders said under his breath, but still loud enough for Serana to hear. "I know you can!"

…

**ALESSIA**

Alessia pushed the large wooden doors open and entered the graveyard surrounding the White Gold Tower. Here, the piles of bodies were massive and the stench of decay almost overpowering. Off to her left, she heard shrieks of fright and pain accompanied by rhythmic grunts and she shrank into the shadows along the stone railing. The longwinded keen cut off abruptly with a gurgle, then an ominous sounding chuckle. She shuddered and murmured a prayer, both for that tortured soul and for herself.

How long Alessia waited shivering in the shadows, she couldn't say, but she nearly jumped out of her skin when a loud noise erupted directly above her. She craned her neck around to look up and found herself staring into the beady eyes of a raven, perched on the stone railing watching her. It bobbed its head and let out a loud "CAW!", then turned to stare at the Tower.

_Surely there are many ravens here, feasting on the carrion._ Alessia peeked around the fencepost to better survey the area around the entrance to the tower, but found no more ravens. _Maybe…my Bosmer blood? Is it trying to tell me something? _

"What? What do you want?"

It pointedly stared at her, looked to the Tower, then cawed.

"Is…is it safe?" Alessia asked, feeling slightly foolish for speaking to a bird.

The raven looked around for a moment and stared at her again. Alessia took this as a yes and made her way down the steps and across the ruined brown grass. Just as she reached the steps to the Tower, something grabbed her arm.

A pale Breton woman with glowing eyes hissed at her, trying to pull her closer. Alessia fumbled for the dagger at her waist, but the woman abruptly let go and screeched as the raven flew down and clawed at her face, seeming to caw urgently at Alessia at the same time. She took the reprieve and ran as fast as she could into the Tower.

The interior was far too dark to see anything and Alessia stumbled and fell to her knees. Suddenly, the sconces around the room all burst alight. Surrounding her in a tight circle were women of every race wearing nothing but torn bloody rags, pieces of flesh torn off or hanging raggedly from their bodies. As one, they smiled and began to chant words no mortal could ever understand.

Alessia grabbed for the weapons at her sides, but her hands were stopped by an inhuman strength. The chanting stopped, and she looked fearfully into the eyes of her captors as they smiled as one, their glowing eyes boring into her.

"You will not hurt us, our Queen. Our King awaits his bride."

A small contingent of the women surrounded her and forced her towards a glowing ring on the floor filled with intricate symbols, shining blue with magic. When Alessia's mother had brought her here years ago to speak with the Arch Mage, this strange circle had magically transported them to the Arch Mage's waiting room when they stepped into it. This time though, they emerged into a large throne room. Banners with forbidden Daedric symbols hung along the walls and their footsteps echoed off the high vaulted ceiling.

The women pushed her towards an empty throne at the far end of the hall, but they dropped off from the group one by one, each seeking one of the many red and black tattooed dremora lords that guarded the room. The lust of the dremora for these women was painful to witness. No love or passion - biting with pointed teeth, shredding with claws, slicing with Daedric daggers - yet the women moaned wantonly. Alessia was morbidly focused on one woman who was taken by a pack of scamps, blood running between the stones beneath her as they clawed and thrusted.

"All of this is yours, and more," a deep voice growled from behind her. Alessia jumped, one hand to her dagger. The monstrosity addressing her was now lounging on the throne, glowing-eyed women on their knees around him all staring at him adoringly. His face and tall horns were reminiscent of a goat, only with a wide snout and long pointed teeth. Green and brown mottled skin speckled with long coarse hair covered a very masculine torso, which topped hairy bovine legs and cloven feet. A long, green snake-like tail waved lazily behind him as he stared her down with too-human eyes.

Alessia stared at the creature before her, incredulous. "Who are you?" she whispered, barely loud enough to be heard over the raucous noise of copulation filling the chamber.

The monster chuckled. "Who am I?" he repeated, and kicked one of the women surrounding the throne. "Tell her who I am, slave!"

The bedraggled woman stared at the floor in front of Alessia, not daring to meet her gaze and spoke in a monotone. "Our King is Molag Bal, the Lord of Domination and Corruption, Father of Vampires."

Alessia paused, the glowing eyes and fangs suddenly making sense. _I should have figured that out. Wait, vampires…why does that sound so familiar?_ Her brain seemed to itch inside of her head. _Why is this-_

"So impressed you're speechless?" the Daedric Prince laughed. Alessia startled, and looked up at him like a lamb at the slaughter, making him laugh even harder. "Ah, you should be. But you, you I am willing to raise above these sniveling worshippers. I would make you my Queen, sharing in all the grandeur you see around you." He rose, his harem parting for him obediently as he neared her.

Alessia started to get dizzy. The room spun, and as Molag Bal's speech seemed to dim in her mind, the humming of distant voices grew ever louder until she could finally understand them.

"**Come on love, you can beat this! I know you can!"**

_Why does it sound so familiar? How do I…Anders?_ A bright light enveloped her sight as Alessia relived her whole life in a split second. Bastard, Nightingale, Dragonborn, Dawnguard…Anders.

Alessia unsheathed her weapons, smiling slightly at the ebony dagger in her hand that she knew she had embedded in the kitchen table at Honeyside before her face turned murderous. "I don't want _anything _you have to give," she spat.

The King of Rape snickered. "Are you sure you'd rather defy my will than take it willingly?"

"I will defy you until my last breath, monster!"

Molag Bal sighed heavily and waved a hand towards her. "Restrain her," he commanded as he stepped back, sounding bored.

The harem rushed forward, but Alessia was ready. She tried to cast Subterfuge, but it didn't seem to work in this dream-world. Given she had nothing but her blades; she fought with all she had. Her gift from Anders sent many reeling from her, screaming as the flames engulfed them. The Nightingale Blade, her gift from the Guild maimed and decapitated. It wasn't enough. Dremora lords overpowered her, taking her weapons away and holding her tightly.

Molag Bal stepped closer and with clawed hands ripped the front of her armor open. Her exposed breasts caused the dremora to hiss and the Daedric Lord to smile. He pulled her close and pinched her nipple between his claws, twisting painfully.

"Do you really think that you will defeat me? Fighting only makes it more…satisfying," he crooned, ripping off the remnants of her armor.

Purple light flooded the throne room, the snarls of the dremora holding Alessia abruptly ceasing as they seemed to freeze.

A beautiful woman with long black robes exposing her cleavage sat upon the throne. Two ravens fluttered down from the balconies above and settled softly on her shoulders. She smiled mockingly and tsked. "What is my Champion doing here, Brother?"

Molag Bal snarled at her. "She was stupid enough to be bitten, and she is MINE!"

Nocturnal rose gracefully and descended to the floor. "It seems to me that she has denied your…gift."

The monster Prince turned on her, his tail swishing angrily. "She didn't fight hard enough! I will take her!"

The ravens on her shoulders cackled, seeming to laugh at him as she gazed down at the corpses Alessia left around the room. "No, she has fought more than enough. You only want her for the power in her blood."

Molag Bal's eyes narrowed. "And what do _you_ want her for?"

Nocturnal neared Alessia and waved her hand across her torso, restoring the thief's armor before rounding indignantly on the other Prince. "She has already proven her worth to me and is under my protection! She is _my_ Champion!" She ignored his abashed look and continued. "Boethiah despises you already, and I doubt Vaermina would approve of you using the dream to recruit your victims…how many of us do you want hating you?"

The ugly Daedric Prince clenched his teeth for a moment, then looked to the floor. He yelled and charged towards Alessia, violently punching one Dremora, and eviscerating the other with his claws, leaving her free. "Take her," he growled to Nocturnal. As he stomped away, the room seemed to dissolve, but Nocturnal's face was clear.

She gave Alessia a small smile before she dissipated into a swirl of purple light.

…

Anders had been awake for almost two days. He and Serana had kept forcing potion after potion down Alessia's throat, and that damnable dog would not leave. Serana had tried feeding the animal, but he only stared at the mutton in front of him before huffing and resuming his vigil on his mistress.

Anders had carefully removed her armor, bathed her with her favorite orange-scented soap, and dressed her in a comfortable long shirt. He watched her pale face for any change, his hand ghosting over the soft crimson hair now loose around his beloved before settling it in hers, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles as his eyes slowly drifted shut.

He was awakened by the hand he held now clenching his, ice-blue eyes gazing up at him, and her whisper.

"You saved me, Anders."

Anders gave a sob as relief flooded over him, too emotional to speak as he gathered her in his arms.

…


	32. Chapter 32

_**Thanks so much Ravenwiccn, Smugget, MB18932, KnightOfHolyLight and Graymalkyn for the awesome reviews and a huge thanks to all of you who have put this fic on their favorite lists and who are now following it! **_

_**Another long chapter, and one we really enjoyed writing as it's a respite from all the drama! There is also a bit of smut ahead, so fair warning! :P**_

_**By the way, I've very recently posted a new fic based on the premise of Justice merging with someone else and Awakening Anders in Kirkwall! It's called 'Vengeance not Justice' and I'm having a lot of fun with it! I know that they don't let us put in links here, so check my profile (alyssacousland) if you want to read it! *crosses fingers***_

_**As usual, our disclaimer: Bioware and Bethesda own! :D **_

Chapter 32

The moment that Anders embraced Alessia, Bran jumped on top of both of them and licked Alessia's face, yapping happily. Serana approached her as well and waited for Bran to lie beside Alessia so she could hug her friend. Anders moved and sat on the bed itself, smiling at both women happily.

"You had us all so worried!" Serana cried as she held Alessia close for a moment, then let go.

"I'm so glad to be back," Alessia grinned. "Did we win the war?"

"Yes, we did," Serana smiled back at her as she sat on the chair Anders had been sitting on.

"What happened? I thought you were dead!" she told Serana.

"I very nearly did die, but I'm guessing my father left me for last. His goal was to turn you and he very nearly did!"

"I had a strange…dream…" Alessia said in a low voice, rubbing her forehead with the back of her hand. "At least, it might have been a dream. I was back in Imperial City, when I left to come to Skyrim and knew nothing of who I am now. I heard Anders's voice and remembered," she smiled, squeezing Anders's hand, but then the smile fell from her face. "I met Molag Bal. It was very unpleasant."

"I'm glad you resisted him," Serana commented. "I know very well how horrible it must have been."

"The things I saw women doing willingly…" Alessia began, shaking her head. "It was disturbing, that's for sure. Even after I remembered everything, he didn't want to let me go."

Bran whined and Alessia smiled down at him, happy to be back, and scratched behind his ears.

"Damn dog was sitting at the door," Anders grumbled with a twinkle in his eye, trying to change the subject to something less upsetting. "Made it really hard to get in and out of the room!"

"Aww! Have you eaten anything? I'm starving!" Bran's ears pricked up and he gave a short bark, jumping out of the bed and to the piece of mutton lying on the floor at the doorway of the room. Alessia chuckled at this, her eyes now looking into Anders's warm brown ones.

Their loving gaze held for a few seconds, and Serana cleared her throat. "I'm still in the room, you know…"

"Sorry about that," Alessia giggled.

"I have to leave shortly anyway. The Dawnguard was very worried about you. They need to know that you are safe," Serana replied with a grin.

"Are you going to travel there to tell them, then?" Alessia asked.

Serana nodded. "Isran told me I'd always have a place with them at the fort before he left. He took Auriel's Bow there for safekeeping. But first, even though I know you two have made up, I do want to say that when Mjoll entered that room, Anders had no idea that was what she would do. I saw her smile when you got angry at him, Alessia. At that moment, I knew he had never been with Mjoll. I just wanted to clarify that, because I've been trying to tell you this for a long time."

"I know," Alessia said sadly, lowering her eyes for a few moments. "Deep down inside I guess I knew it all along, but I didn't want to hear it. I needed to be totally focused on what we were doing. If I allowed myself to feel the pain or went looking for Anders again…well…" Anders's hand found hers and squeezed it gently. "I wouldn't have even cared about winning the war against the vampires anymore…so I forced myself to not even think about it."

"I'm so sorry it happened, love," Anders said contritely. "I found out after you left that she wanted you out of my life. She really doesn't like you at all. I asked her to leave the house after that. I was so angry at her, and at myself for even letting her use the tub downstairs. I was so focused on meeting you – Urag had told me about the spell book and your message – that I didn't even see it coming…" he sighed. "Such a stupid mistake on my part!"

Alessia shook her head, and reached out for him to embrace him quickly. "No, don't do that to yourself, Anders. What's done is done. And maybe it had to be that way so I could be done with the whole vampire war, right? So, did you kill Harkon?" she asked Serana.

"After what he did to you I would have liked to!" Serana replied. "But Anders here got all 'glowy' and blue and finished him off in the end. I did run him through with my sword though…"

"Justice?" Alessia asked, and Anders nodded, stealing a glance at Serana who was watching him with an enthralled expression on her face.

"I guess I should explain that I'm not from this world," Anders began. Serana's right eyebrow lifted slightly. "And that I have a spirit inside me…who…_manifests_…every now and then."

"Alright. I'll stay for dinner and listen to your story while you two eat," Serana said visibly amused and intrigued. "I can't leave now when it's gotten so interesting!"

…

Serana was mildly surprised to hear Anders's story, but she didn't really think much about it. After an animated conversation, she said goodbye to them and leaned over to pet Bran who wagged his tail and laid back his ears lovingly. Then she was out the door and disappeared into the shadows.

"Well, we're finally alone," Alessia said as she stepped closer to Anders, who put his arms around her and leaned over, capturing her lips. Bran whined below them, and gave a bark and Alessia broke the kiss off, then knelt close to Bran.

"Listen, you should stay here, Bran, and see that nobody gets through the door tonight, all right?"

The dog wagged his tail as if he was nodding in agreement and Alessia turned back to Anders.

"We'd better close the bedroom door, just in case," Anders said in a low voice, leaning forward again, his lips now kissing her cheek and moving down to her ear.

"I think we'd better get to the bedroom first, then," Alessia whispered back with a smile. "Though I'd love a bath right now."

"So would I," Anders commented, his eyes dark with desire. "What a coincidence!"

Alessia giggled, and he promptly picked her up and carried her down the stairs to the basement as her giggles turned to laughter.

Anders filled the tub with ice, which he quickly melted using a fire spell, heating the water immediately afterwards. He stepped forward to undress Alessia tenderly, kissing her shoulder and trailing kisses down her back. She slowly got into the tub. He knelt right beside her, and kissed her neck, his lips ghosting against her white skin as they made their way to her collarbone.

"I really think you should get into the tub," Alessia managed to whisper. "I don't like being here all alone."

Anders gave her a lopsided smile as he quickly took off his clothes and then slipped into the large tub of hot water with her.

…

They took their time caressing and fondling each other, and speaking of what they'd done while separated. Alessia told him of the treachery of the Ideal masters in the Soul Cairn and the sadness of Durnehviir's existence, the tranquility of the Ancestor Glade and the foreign beauty of Darkfall Cave. Anders relayed his quests for the College, and Alessia squealed with glee and sloshed water over the edge of the tub in her haste to embrace him when he told her he was now Arch Mage. Eventually, Alessia pouted that the water was getting cold so Anders hurried to get up and help her out. He grabbed a towel and quickly draped it around her, and then captured her lips in his. He carried her all the way up to the bedroom, kissing her along the way.

As soon as they got to the bedroom, he closed the door behind him with his foot and carried her to the bed.

"I missed you," he whispered as he took her in his arms gently, the towel falling on the bed, their naked bodies brushing against each other.

"Missed you too," she managed to whisper, while arching her back as his hands found and massaged her breasts.

He spent his time on her lovely breasts, his mouth suckling and fingers tweaking her nipples gently, then slowly kissed his way down. Her torso was riddled with many more scars than before; puckered white circles from arrows, the short lines of sword wounds, a long gash from under her ribs to her belly button from an axe. He silently mourned that he had not been there to heal her, and kissed the scars as he moved further downward. When he began to lick her nub, she was moaning and panting heavily, her hands grasping at the sheets as she shuddered with pleasure.

Anders positioned himself above her, giving her a half smile and pushed, entering her slowly as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Please, Anders!" she called out, biting her lower lip.

"What is it that you want, love?" came his hoarse whisper as he fought against his own release. Their time apart had somehow strengthened their love for one another, and the bliss of being together again nearly drove him over the edge.

"You…" she whimpered and sighed, one hand threading through his hair and the other at his waist, pulling him in.

He quickly buried himself completely in her and stopped again, his forehead against hers as he panted.

"Alessia…Maker, I'm so close!"

"Please," she sighed as she looked up at him lovingly, then bit her lip again.

Anders kissed her hungrily, and she responded in kind, moving a little which caused him to break off the kiss and begin to thrust.

Alessia moved to his rhythm and soon they were both moving in unison, his eyes now closing shut as he felt his release coming faster. He slowed down, pausing as his hand massaged her nub. She gave a soft cry and he grunted when he felt her tightening around his arousal.

He resumed his thrusting, quickly this time, eager to meet her at the top. Just as she screamed his name, he gave a few more deep thrusts and cried out as he followed her over the edge, while she clenched around him again and again.

He collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily, then pulled her towards him as he moved to the side. She frowned slightly when his cock slid out of her, which made him smile.

He grabbed the towel that was near them wiping her and himself clean, then settled back on the bed when he was done. He smiled as he put his arms around her, kissing her forehead gently.

"I love you so much," he whispered.

Alessia smiled and mumbled that she loved him as well, her eyes heavy as sleep overcame her. He smiled as he watched her sleep for a few minutes, lulled by her soft breathing and peaceful features, and then finally fell asleep himself.

…

Alessia woke up to the smell of ham and eggs and opened her eyes. Anders was coming through the door dressed in a long tunic and loose trousers, balancing a tray in his hands. He grinned when he saw that she was awake.

"I wanted to surprise you with this, please say you're surprised!" he chuckled.

"I'm surprised!" Alessia breathed as she sat up in bed, taking the tray and setting it on the bed. "This smells delicious!"

"Not hard to make, but this –" he produced a rose from one of his pockets, "was a bit hard to find. I knew you had rosebushes in your garden, but I thought you had more of them."

Alessia took the pink rose from his hand and brought it to her nose. She closed her eyes as she smelled it, opening them again blissfully. "It isn't my birthday, is it?"

"No, I remember you telling me your birthday is in the fall, during harvest time. It's summer now, right?" Anders twinkled, bending over to kiss her. "Good morning, love. Did you sleep well?"

"I did," Alessia replied, as she looked over the rose stem for thorns and finding none, put the flower behind her ear-the blossom lying along her face, and took one of the plates. She dug into the eggs with gusto, and took a piece of bread that was on the tray as well. Anders joined her, but sat on the chair next to the bed.

"I slept like a baby myself. No nightmares at least. They were awful when we were apart," he said as he munched away at his breakfast. "I gave Bran some mutton, by the way. I imagine he's still gnawing on the bone, but will probably come up to see you later."

Alessia smiled at his thoughtfulness. "Thank you."

They ate in companionable silence. As usual, Anders was the first to finish, just as Bran walked into the room with a bone in his mouth. He didn't drop the bone, but wagged his tail as a greeting to Alessia and she petted him, then he settled down on the bedroom floor where he proceeded to gnaw away.

"Anders?" Alessia said as she finished breakfast and drank some water that Anders had brought for them.

"Yes, love?"

"I was thinking that maybe we should travel somewhere else before we head off to Whiterun. Of course it's a bit further south and in Falkreath, but I really need to go there to – talk to somebody."

"Of course, love. I'll follow you wherever you go," Anders shot back immediately, leaning towards her and stealing a quick kiss.

"What are we doing after Whiterun?" he asked, settling down on the chair comfortably. "I should get back to the College; I have some reports to hand in…"

"Yes, of course, my love. We'll do that after, if that's alright."

Anders looked up at her – looking surprised at first but then overjoyed. "You actually said, 'my love'!" he exclaimed happily.

"Well, you _are_ my love, aren't you?" Alessia chortled.

"I hope so!" Anders replied, taking her hand in his and squeezing it lovingly.

"There is something else I've been meaning to ask you," Alessia said.

"Yes?"

"What did you do to your hair?"

"Oh!" Anders exclaimed, his hand on his hair. It had been tied into a very small queue and since his hair was so much shorter, some of it fell around his face and a lot more strands fell on the back of his neck. "Well, after you left when I was in Honeyside, I took my knife and cut it off. I remembered what you said about how much you loved my hair and I was angry. I – I didn't think about what I was doing. I was just following an impulse. I'm sorry."

Alessia shook her head. "I'm sorry, too! But I totally understand how you must have felt. It will grow back though, won't it? And it's better than jumping into the middle of an angry mob of Falmer…"

"It will grow back," Anders smiled. Then he shook his head. "I'm glad you don't have that death wish any longer. In fact, I'm going to try to make you as happy as possible from now on. Starting with today, of course!"

Alessia smiled as she got up then stretched, turning towards the door. Anders grabbed her hand, pulling her to him. "Just where do you think you're going?" he demanded playfully, his other hand on her waist.

"I thought I'd get dressed so we can leave?" Alessia said with a puzzled look on her face.

Anders shook his head, as he pulled her down so she could sit on his lap. "No, your healer doesn't advise that at all, my lady."

"Oh?" Alessia replied, titling her head to the right with twinkling eyes. "And just what does my healer recommend then?"

"Rest and relaxation for two more days at least," he murmured as she brought her lips down to his.

…

As it turned out, they stayed in Solitude for three more days. During that time, they talked and grew very close to one another - even closer than they had been before.

On the third day, while walking Bran, they started talking about Alduin and life and death situations. Anders had been unusually quiet afterwards.

"What's on your mind?" Alessia had asked. "I'm just curious."

"There's something else I haven't told you about myself, so I'm thinking of getting it out in the open today," Anders replied, his brow furrowed.

"What is it?" Alessia asked, a slight frown on her face.

"Let's sit over there, so the dog can run around without bumping into people while we talk," Anders replied, pointing to a grassy area next to the road. Bran managed to kill a couple of mudcrabs when they sat down – since one of the offensive beasts had actually tried to attack them. The creaking of wood and burbling of water that the Solitude sawmill made, which had been the last building they had passed, was the only thing that broke the morning silence.

"Well, it's something that has to do with the Taint in my blood," Anders eventually said. "You know Grey Wardens usually don't live for very long. I think that with Justice in me, I have a much greater chance of living beyond that period of time."

Alessia nodded, still very tense, her eyes on Anders as she listened to him.

"There's also another factor which isn't so good. We're a couple now, and I hope to remain by your side as long as I can. If you thought about having children, there is nothing I would like more, but…"

"But?" Alessia echoed.

"It's very hard for a Warden to have children. Unless they had children before the Joining. It's the Taint inside us…" Anders sighed when he saw her eyes widen with shock. "I'm sorry. I became a Warden long before I met you. I was a mage in Ferelden. I never thought I would settle down with a woman as I was always too busy running from the templars. In Thedas, most mages don't have the luxury of falling in love or settling down to have a family."

Alessia said nothing and Anders put an arm around her and pulled her close. "I'm sorry, love."

She still didn't respond so he lifted her chin up and kissed her gently.

They sat in silence, both lost in their thoughts.

"I love you, Anders," she said after a while. "I would love to have your child. If that isn't meant to be, that's fine, too. What I don't want is to live a life without you."

Anders kissed the crown of her head, his grip tightening around her for a few minutes.

"You won't," he said softly.

…

**Twilight Sepulcher in Falkreath**

Getting ready to leave the next morning was much quicker than usual for Alessia since she didn't need to brew and choke down the bitter contraceptive tea she normally did after being with Anders. They were gone from Solitude by daybreak, and by the time they set up camp for the night in the mountains of The Reach, were already over halfway to Falkreath. Alessia had forgotten how much quicker travel was by horseback, even when riding slowly enough for Bran to keep up and stopping occasionally to fight small bands of Forsworn.

As they continued south the next day, it grew warm enough for them to pack away their cloaks. "It's actually quite nice here," Anders commented, turning back to stuff his cloak into his saddlebag. "Is this what it's normally like in Cyrodiil?"

"Depends on where you are," Alessia replied as she studied her map intently before guiding them off the road and through the trees. "Bruma is the northernmost city and actually fairly close to Falkreath, just past the border so it's weather is akin to southern Skyrim. The Imperial City and Cheydinhal are fairly warm in the summer and cold in winter. Leyawiin, the southernmost city, is warm in the winter and nigh on intolerable in the summer. It borders the Blackmarsh, the swamp where the Argonians hail from. It's hot, humid, and has mosquitos the size of your fist."

Anders shuddered. "As much as I find the Argonians fascinating, I think that if we ever go to Cyrodiil, I'd like to skip that part of the tour. You have a Blackmarsh, too? I was in a village called Blackmarsh back in Thedas a while ago. Funny how the name is creepy no matter where the place is, hmm?"

Alessia chuckled, leading them to a clearing. Sheer cliffs rose on each side of them, and at the far side of the clearing was a wooden door inset in the stone. A lone horse stood grazing on the grass near the door, ignoring them completely. She led them over to the horse, dismounted, and tethered hers alongside it.

"You can come in with me, but you must stay in the antechamber," Alessia said quietly, watching Anders tether his horse as well.

Anders's brow furrowed as he followed her into the Nordic ruin, but he remained silent. The tunnel they followed opened into a huge cavern, lit faintly with torches along the walls and large sconces that burned violet at the far end. A dark figure approached and Anders went to grab his staff, but Alessia stilled him with a hand on his arm. The figure coalesced into a Dunmer woman with light brown hair and lavender eyes.

"Karliah!" Alessia cried, sprinting ahead to embrace the Dark Elf. Bran ran with her, and though he didn't know this elf, danced around them in circles barking happily as they laughed. "Oh, it is wonderful to see you! How are you?"

"I am well," Karliah replied, smiling up at Alessia as she bent down to pet the happy dog. "You look positively radiant, my friend. Would that have anything to do with the handsome man trying to hide in the shadows behind you?"

Anders stepped forward with a grin on his face. "I was just giving you two some time…I wasn't trying to hide," he said.

"Aye. Good thing, that. You were doing a horrible job of it," Karliah laughed, holding a hand out to shake with Anders. "I am Karliah, and any friend of Alessia's is a friend of mine."

"Anders. Pleasure to meet you, milady." Rather than shake her hand, he bowed over it with a flourish and kissed the back of her gauntlet, making both women chuckle.

"Ooh, such manners! Where'd you find him, Alessia? I think I want one!"

Alessia shrugged. "He just fell from the sky in front of me. And no, I won't share."

The ladies laughed again, then began chattering away about all of the things Alessia had been up to. Karliah went wide-eyed when learning her friend was Dragonborn, clapped Anders on the shoulder and grinned in congratulations when finding out he was Arch Mage, and went somber when hearing of what happened with the Dawnguard.

"…Anders's voice brought me back, made me remember who I was, but it wasn't enough. Something...intervened," Alessia was saying, recalling the dream with Molag Bal.

Understanding dawned in the Dunmer's eyes. "Perhaps I should leave you for the moment," Karliah said, giving Alessia brief nod before wrapping an arm around Anders's shoulders and leading him away. "Tell me about yourself, Anders. You must be very talented to rise to Arch Mage so quickly."

"Not really, I-" Anders began, then turned back quickly. "Alessia? Alessia!"

The cavern was empty save him, Karliah and that damned dog.

…

"Where did she go? I must find her!" Anders exclaimed, his eyes flashing blue as he tore away from Karliah.

"Anders, stop!" she yelled, grabbing hold of his arm.

Anders turned, his skin crackling with cerulean light and his voice seeming to drop. "Where is she!"

Karliah blinked at the difference; the funny, good-natured person Anders had been mere seconds before now gone. "She is doing what she came here to do," she answered quietly, one hand going to her dagger. "You cannot follow!"

"She may be in danger!" Anders growled in Justice's booming voice.

"I can assure you that this is the safest place in Tamriel for her to be other than the Cistern," Karliah said soothingly. "Certain secrets need to be kept, my friend. If you've been around her for any amount of time, you know this. Yes?"

The light faded as Anders returned to himself, and his eyes searched hers worriedly. He found only compassion rather than pain and knew that Justice had not hurt her. "I need to protect her," he whispered pleadingly.

Karliah smiled at him. "Anders, there is nothing here for you to protect her from. She is beloved, here. I know it seems dank and dreary, but I can assure you, she is safe."

…

Alessia followed the dark corridors quickly. She was ashamed for leaving Anders in such a way, but he could never know the real reason she was here. This ruin housed the Ebonmere, the portal to the realm of Nocturnal. She was ashamed to leave him with no answers, but not ashamed of what she was. She had promised secrecy and this truth she would always keep. Even from him, no matter how it hurt to not be completely honest.

After more twists and turns, she came upon an open room with a large circle in the stone floor surrounded by stones carved with different phases of the moons. She dug around in her pack and found what she had worked on the night before as Anders slept peacefully beside her; a crown of nightshade flowers interwoven with a few of the gleamblossoms Serana had recovered from Darkfall Cave. In the few days she was at Proudspire, she had found the luminescent flowers held the properties of Fear and Paralysis, things Alessia thought the Daedric Prince would like.

She knelt and arranged the circlet of flowers around the full moon symbol. "Night Mistress, I come to you humbled," she whispered, her eyes clenched shut in concentration. "Night Mistress, I come to you in gratitude. Night Mistress, I come to you alive and untouched by the taint of another Prince. Please show yourself, so I may thank you for your intervention."

Her whispers echoed off the walls of the room, and she opened her eyes when the circle of stones began to glow. Nocturnal rose before her, beautiful and proud. Alessia stared at the delicate arches of her bare feet beneath her pitch black robes.

"You are worthy of looking me in the eye, Champion. You always have been," a melodic voice said above her.

Alessia raised her eyes slowly, taking in the visage of the Daedric Prince. Nocturnal floated in front of her, ebon robes flowing around her, yet clinging to her seductively. The front of her robes were open, giving glimpses of ample breasts as she held her arms out akimbo, ravens clutched to her wrists. Her beautiful face looked down on Alessia with a small smile, ice blue eyes matching that of Alessia's own.

"I have come to thank you personally for your intervention with Molag Bal. I fought with everything I had but-"

"He seeks the power in your blood, child," the Prince interrupted, not unkindly. "You need be wary of this with any of the Princes. They want you for their own."

Alessia watched Nocturnal's face for a moment, but saw no tell of the Prince's own plans. "I am your Champion, and I use your gift of Subterfuge; I thank your presence every month by the burning of nightshade at the full moons…but why would you step in on my behalf?"

Nocturnal laughed, the ravens cackling along with her. "You are wise to wonder, mortal," she began, crossing her arms under her ample breasts as the ravens moved up to her shoulders. "We Princes do not give gifts for nothing except when beseeched on our holy day. I know your blood as the other Princes do, but they do not look to the future as I. If the World Eater takes Nirn, we Princes have no mortals to toy with. You, my dear, can change that. I merely stepped in so you could continue as you were. Defeat Alduin and the debt is repaid."

Alessia nodded vehemently. "We are on our way to face Alduin now."

"Then, I will leave you, Champion. Do as you were born to do," Nocturnal said, her visage twisting as it returned to the Ebonmere.

"Remember: your life is worth more than every life on Nirn combined."

…

"Are you sure I can't go after her?" Anders asked, wringing his hands worriedly as he sat by a meager fire in the antechamber cavern with Karliah.

"For the hundredth time, yes!" Karliah exclaimed, practically throwing a rabbit haunch at the mage to shut him up.

Anders caught the piping hot rabbit and juggled it between his hands. "Well, if you won't tell me what she's doing here, what are _you_ doing here?"

"I meditate here," the Dunmer said, tossing another portion of rabbit to the dog, who had been blissfully quiet this whole time, regardless of the absence of his mistress.

"Why? It's so dreary…wouldn't you want a happy place to meditate? Isn't that the point?" Anders said, looking around the room again hoping to see Alessia pop out of the shadows.

Karliah scowled, then bit into her dinner. "This is a happy place for me. This is the place…" Karliah began, talking over Anders's next question, "…where my love rests. Shut up and eat your food."

Anders quieted for a while and looked around the dimly lit cavern. Torn banners adorned the walls, the symbols known to him now after reading some books on Daedric lore at the College. _This is a shrine to…Nocturnal! That power of Subterfuge Alessia uses could totally be something she gained from a Daedra. She said a God gave it to her…_

"So…" Anders began as he tossed the bones from his dinner aside. "You wear the same armor as Alessia does, black leather with that symbol on the chest. Brynjolf wears it too. Is there some kind of club for really, really good thieves that the rest of the Guild doesn't belong to?"

Karliah stared at him for a moment, then went back to her dinner. "We are what we are, Anders. We-"

Her reply was cut off by Bran barking and Anders jumping up from his seat as Alessia walked into the ring of torchlight. Anders caught her up into a tight embrace. Alessia laughed and hugged him tight before turning to Karliah.

"Is there enough dinner for me, too? We must leave for Whiterun as soon as possible."

…

**Dragonsreach in Whiterun**

Anders thought about asking Alessia about what she had needed to do back in Falkreath, but knew she would be vague as Karliah had been. He was fairly sure that she, Karliah and Brynjolf were all part of something involving Nocturnal, but judging from what Alessia had said of the dream with Molag Bal and something's intervention, he thought it would be best to just thank the Daedric Prince for her help and let it be.

As the sun set the next day, they plodded up the stairs to Dragonsreach in Whiterun. He and Alessia shared a feeling that the Jarl would breeze over her actions with the Dawnguard and dealing with the vampires as he had wanted before and ask for more. She smiled at him as the guard opened to door to admit them to the castle, and his heart somersaulted as he gave her hand a light squeeze.

"Dragonborn," Jarl Balgruuf nodded politely as they neared his throne. "What news do you bring?"

"The vampires have been dealt with," Alessia responded with a nod herself. "Can we talk about capturing that dragon now?"

The Jarl's eyes narrowed slightly. Nevertheless, he kept a half-smile on his face as he regarded her. To Alessia it looked more like a snarl.

"I appreciate what you have done. But I cannot do this as long as the Civil War rages on. How can I open my keep to a dragon that can kill all my soldiers? I will be vulnerable to a Stormcloak attack and put my entire city in danger. I'm afraid I cannot help you."

"I knew you were going to say that," Alessia bristled and aimed a knowing look at Anders, trying to keep her temper under control. "I've thought a lot about this, in fact. How about if you didn't have to worry about the Stormcloaks? Would you help me then?"

"Are you talking about a truce? I don't think even _you_ could manage that," the Jarl replied, looking thoughtful. "But the Greybeards are neutral aren't they? If you could organize a meeting to discuss a treaty at High Hrothgar, and get both sides to listen, then I will help you capture a dragon. Talk to Ulfric in Windhelm and General Tullius in Solitude, see if they will agree to a meeting."

Alessia groaned. "We were just in Solitude! And now we have to go back north again," she muttered.

"You're complaining of traveling?" Balgruuf scoffed, clearly amused. "I did so much traveling when I was your age; and even lived in Cyrodiil for a time. I would never tire of it and would travel again if I could. It is what it is, Dragonborn. I will not agree to anything until a truce is called. Now, if you don't mind, I have a city to run."

Alessia frowned, but recovered quickly, nodding at the Jarl. "It will be as you say," she said through clenched teeth. "I will speak to the Greybeards."

…

Alessia had been unusually quiet on their way to High Hrothgar. They set up camp before reaching Ivarstead and Anders had chatted on about several trivial things, trying to get her to smile.

"It's strange how the weather can get so cold at nights here, even though it's summer," Anders commented.

"Falkreath was warm," she observed, a small smile on her face as she gazed up at the dual moons and aurora gracing the sky.

"What's bothering you, love? Please tell me," Anders asked in a soft voice, putting an arm around her shoulders and drawing her close.

She sighed deeply and shook her head, but Anders knew very well what that meant and waited patiently. Sure enough, after a short while she looked up at him and started talking.

"Do you remember when I told you why I came to Skyrim?"

Anders nodded. "You wanted to find your father."

"Yes. Maybe it's nothing, but –"she shook her head again, disentangling herself from his arms abruptly and standing.

"You think you found your father, don't you?" he said in a whisper. "You think it's the Jarl…"

"Did you hear what he said, Anders? He's been to Cyrodiil," she said, biting her lower lip, a worried frown on her face. "He lived in Cyrodiil when he was my age…"

"I'm sure he's not the only Nord who's traveled to Cyrodiil, love," Anders said as he stood up and took her in his arms gently.

A sigh escaped her lips again as she rubbed her face against his chest, listening to the soothing sound of his heartbeat. "I know it's probably not him. Dibella's dirty drawers, if I was even slightly related to those awful children! Still, it stirred the memory of why I came to Skyrim in the first place, especially after the dream I had."

Anders said nothing, but rocked her gently, kissing the crown of her head.

After a while she looked up at him and frowned. "I don't need a father, you know. Mother made sure of that. And if I do find him, it would be to throw that in his face. That in spite of him leaving, I turned out just fine and never needed him."

Her voice sounded bitter and her eyes flashed angrily. Anders pulled her close again and tried to soothe her.

"You have me, love," he said simply. "I love you more than you can possibly imagine and I hate to see you troubled. He doesn't deserve anything from you. If we ever find him, I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself for what he did to both you and your mother."

Alessia looked up at him again, her eyes shining. The love and adoration in them made Anders's heart skip a beat and he smiled tenderly at her.

"I love you, Anders. I thank the gods that you fell to Skyrim that day," she murmured, cupping his face in her palm.

"And I thank the Maker I fell at your feet," he replied as he kissed her.

…


	33. Chapter 33

_**A/N from moosesaregreat: Thank you so much to MB18932, KnightOfHolyLight, and Graymalkyn for the reviews and to all who have followed/favorited this!**_

_**So, I've had this thing in my head for a while regarding the peace conference, and the great alyssacousland is just letting me birth my brain-child. Maybe I've just read too much Game of Thrones, idk…this chapter is mostly set up, so if it doesn't make sense now, it will next chapter, I promise!**_

_**Also, internet waffles with butter and syrup to anyone who can guess what Alessia needs out of the Vault. :D**_

_**Bethesda/Bioware own.**_

_**A/N from Alyssacousland: I just wanted to add that Moosesaregreat has written this chapter in its entirety and she is an excellent writer, so be prepared to be rocked off your socks! Also, please be sure to check her other Skyrim fic on her profile page: www .fanfiction u / 3713255/ NO SPACES IN BETWEEN. :D **_

_**Enjoy and please take some time to review! We love your feedback! :D **_

Chapter 33

"I don't care what your argument is, Dragonborn. The answer is no."

Alessia had been trying to convince Arngeir to let them use the High Hrothgar temple as a meeting place for the peace conference since she and Anders had arrived earlier that day. The old priest remained stubborn and immovable in his decision, with Alessia growing more agitated as the discussion dragged on, pacing the room.

"I have thought about this long and hard, Arngeir. I have some ideas to keep all hostilities at bay. If we-"

"Dragonborn, as I have already told you, this is a place of-" Arngeir began, trying to talk over her.

"PEACE AND NEUTRALITY! I KNOW! YOU'VE SAID THAT A HUNDRED TIMES!" Alessia yelled, earning a sharp glare from Arngeir and a chuckle from Anders, who had remained silent throughout the conversation.

"I think 'peace' means not shouting at the priests, love," Anders said quietly. Alessia stopped pacing and aimed an annoyed stare in his direction, but remained silent. "Arngeir, even if you still refuse, you could at least hear her out."

The old man sighed and sat down heavily on one of the benches ringing the sparse antechamber of the temple. "Fine, go ahead. Just don't be surprised when I deny your request again."

Alessia clapped her hands and grinned. "Thank you! First, I know for a fact that Ulfric will not cause trouble unless provoked. His whole campaign rests on his respect of the Nord heritage, and that includes holding High Hrothgar in high regard. From what I understand, General Tullis is an honorable man and I doubt he will incite any problems. Unfortunately, the Thalmor Ambassador Elenwen will most likely accompany him which may set Ulfric off, but I have a way around that."

She began to pace again, her hands excitedly gesticulating as she spoke. "Not only does each warring side need to be present, but so do any Jarls wishing to attend and the head of each Guild faction in Skyrim. Each figurehead can bring a steward and two of their hold or factions best men as their honor guard. I know both Elisif and Laila Law-Giver of the Rift will come at my request, and will instruct their men to keep the peace. After what the Dawnguard has done for the country, they count as a legitimate Guild now, and Isran knows the importance of this. The Companions value their heritage as well, and if Kodlak can make the journey here, he will not allow anything to disrupt the peace of this place. Anders here is Arch Mage of the College, I am Guildmaster of the Thieves' Guild…and, as much as I know you hate to hear this, the Blades are a millennia's old faction and should be here as well."

"_If_ I agree to this, and I'm not saying I will, I do not want them here," Arngeir huffed, crossing his arms.

Alessia snorted. "There are only two of them. One is an old scholar, obsessed with his search for ancient knowledge and the other cowers when actually faced with a dragon. They won't pose a threat either to you or Paarthurnax."

"What is your point, Dragonborn?"

"The point is, keep Tullius and Elenwen on the opposite side from Ulfric and the Blades, with all of the trustworthy figureheads and guards in between them. Neither Ulfric nor Tullius's guards will be able to get past Companions, the Dawnguard, my Guildmates or the Jarl's guards, and Anders's friends from the College can have shields ready to protect against whatever Elenwen's wizards may throw," Alessia replied, stopping in front of Arngeir. "So, what do you think?"

The other priests of the monastery had been attracted to the conversation upon hearing Alessia's prior yelling and had all listened in. Arngeir looked at them one by one and received a solemn nod from each. He sighed heavily. "It…is…a sound plan," he finally conceded, shaking his head ruefully. "When can we expect to hold this conference?"

Alessia let out a joyful whoop and punched her fist in the air happily. "Give me two weeks. We will travel to give the message to Ulfric and Tullius personally lest they think it's some kind of slight, and to Elisif and Laila to prepare. The other Jarls and the Guild heads I will send for by courier ravens. I will provide the courtesy refreshments, and more supplies for the monastery as recompense for your time and efforts."

Arngeir pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you always browbeat people until you get your way?"

Alessia shrugged. "Whatever works!"

"Just know that if anything goes wrong, I'm holding you personally responsible, Dragonborn."

…

They made their way down the mountain quickly, and soon found themselves at the inn in Ivarstead. "I think your plan will work," Anders commented as Alessia feverishly scrawled messages for the innkeeper to send off with the ravens in the coop behind the inn.

"I just hope that the Guild can be kept neutral after this," Alessia mumbled as she paused to dip the quill she was holding into the inkpot beside her.

"The Wardens were neutral, too…but, the Warden Commander ended up having to decide the regency during the Blight. The significance of her actions deemed her opinion necessary," he said, moving behind her to massage her shoulders as she worked. "I hope that you can remain out of it as well, but with the things you've done and will do for this country…sweetheart, you are a very important person and a savior of the people. You may very well be dragged into it whether you want to or not."

Alessia was quiet for a moment as she finished scribbling the last summons, then her shoulders slumped. "I was afraid of my destiny at first. You know that, you were there," she began, turning around to embrace Anders. "I was selfish and didn't want the responsibility. But now…I know that I can't run from things, regardless of how much I want to. I will give my life if need be to finish Alduin. If they think that my opinion is valued enough to decide between the Empire and Stormcloaks, I will but only after much deep thought. That would decide the fate of the known world and I'm not sure what I would do."

"No need to think about it now, love," Anders replied, stroking her back as he held her. "We have enough to think about as it is."

Alessia gave him a quick kiss and disentangled herself from his grasp to open the door. "We do. Best be on it, then."

…

They went as far south and west as they could before setting up camp and as a piece of venison roasted over the fire, they spoke of Alessia's plan.

"It will work, but there are other things that will no doubt need addressed as well," Alessia was saying as she sharpened her blades beside the fire.

"Oh, I don't know…like the fact that Elenwen hired people to kill you?" Anders deadpanned.

Alessia snickered. "Yes, that-among other things. I kind of graced over some of the logistics to get Arngeir to agree and I feel bad for it. Fortunately, the possibility of that coming up adds into the plan. No one knows who I am or am not aligned with and who owes me favors."

"Wouldn't it be quicker to go north and hit Winterhold and Windhelm first?" Anders asked.

"It would, but I have a feeling that even though Ulfric will adhere to the rules of High Hrothgar, he would try to get there first just to rub it in the General's face. An uppance we can't afford."

They ate their dinner quietly, and snuggled by the fire with Bran chewing a bone at their feet. "Anders, I need to tell you something," Alessia said, breaking the silence. "Well, not so much _you_ as Justice. I know he hears everything that is going on around you."

Anders nodded and smiled slightly as Alessia straddled him, grasping the sides of his head and putting her face right in front of his. "Justice, hear me now. When we have this conference, you _must_ stay silent. There have been many injustices done that need righted, and I will work as I can to fix them. You _know_ I will. The bullshit politics will get in the way, but if you are silent, I can fix some of it. Just let me do what needs to be done. Some things can be righted soon, and some will be righted later. Understand?"

Anders's skin sprouted blue cracks and his eyes glowed as Justice took over. "I do not like this, Dragonborn."

"I don't either, but this has to happen or the world will be engulfed in Alduin's flames."

…

Isran sat at the supper table, the camaraderie of the Dawnguard filling the hall. He had always been a quiet man unless he was needed to be loud, and now was a time for silence. Serana had brought news a few days past of Alessia's health, so he allowed the boisterousness of his fellows to occur and remained to himself as he ate.

Durak, brother to some fancy pants librarian, burst through the doors of the fort and after searching for a moment, rested his gaze on Isran and jogged over. "Message for you sir," the Orc claimed, holding up a small piece of parchment which was rolled up tightly and sealed.

The Redguard took it and nodded his assent for the man to leave before breaking open the seal.

_Isran-_

_Dealing with the dragons. Peace conference at High Hrothgar for Civil War. 1, Mid Year. Few I can trust. _

_-Alessia_

"Gunmar! Sorine!" Isran called, booming above the din of the dining hall. "We have places to be!"

…

A few days later, they reached Solitude. Elisif was understanding and most agreeable, just as Alessia knew she would be. She was a good woman in a hard place, and would help her friend selflessly. Tullius on the other hand…

"I don't know you, friend," the General stated matter-of-factly, resting his palms on the map covered table separating them. "But, I know Elenwen is after someone who wears armor that looks an awful lot like that."

Alessia stood proud and unafraid opposite the famed military man. "You are needed at High Hrothgar on the first of Mid Year to sully a truce for the war until after the Dragonborn deals with the dragon menace."

Tullius chuckled, training a wary eye on the black leathered form before him, and waved a hand to halt his guards. "You don't confirm or deny your warrant, and bid me to stay the war?"

"I bid you to attend the peace conference, sir. What you do after that is up to you," Alessia said, glad that she left her mask and hood on, for the man seemed intrigued.

The General took the woman's companion's garb into his calculating gaze. "And what of you, Arch Mage? I hear you rose to power quickly."

"I did, sir," Anders said calmly, his hands clasped behind his back. "I would be glad to speak to you at length about my trials to become the head of the College of Winterhold, but for now, I ask that you attend the conference."

Tullius watched the pair for a moment before answering. The woman's countenance, he could gain nothing of thanks to her hood, but knew from the steadiness of her voice that she was stalwart in her assignment. If he were a betting man, he would lay down his full year's salary that this masked woman was the Dragonborn. The mage seemed slightly nervous, but no less truthful. Finally, he nodded.

"Very well. I will attend."

…

Kodlak Whitemane stared at the crest sealing the message, before gazing back at its bearer. Black war paint covered the man's eyes and seemed to dribble down his cheeks. Vilkas was a good man, and Kodlak knew that he would never betray him, not to mention that was too young to know the Nightingale Crest by sight. The old man shoved under the seal with a thumbnail, the tightly rolled parchment opening with a crack of wax breaking.

_Kodlak-_

_The World-Eater has returned. Dragonsreach needed. Fence-sitter Balgruuf will not help without Civil War truce. Peace conference at High Hrothgar, 1 Mid year. Please come if health permits._

It was signed with another glob of black wax with the Nightingale Crest staring up at him. He closed his eyes and worried his bottom lip with his teeth. _I don't know if my body will let me make this journey, but they would not ask for assistance if it weren't vital…besides, they were polite and Balgruuf can suck a-_

"Bad news?" Vilkas asked in that blunt way of his, interrupting the old man's train of thought.

Kodlak sighed, feeling the weight of both age and duty. "No," he replied, standing painfully.

"Gather your brother and Aela. We must make the climb to the Throat of the World."

…

After Alessia had calmly thrown a punch and knocked out a man degrading a Dunmer woman near the entrance of Windhelm much to both Anders and Justice's satisfaction, they continued through the city to the Palace of the Kings. The city was cold and weather-worn; the Nords of the city walking proudly while the few Mer inhabitants walked quickly to their destinations with downcast eyes.

"You weren't kidding about how the non-human people are treated here," Anders murmured as he watched an Argonian woman scuttle down a side street. Justice must have heeded Alessia's warning though, for his eyes remained a clear warm brown.

"Here, my anonymity is necessary. The people here will treat me even worse than the others for being a half breed, but more importantly…I doubt Ulfric would attend if the message came from me, even if he did recognize me from Helgen."

Anders stopped for a moment. "I understand the specifics of the Civil War and I do agree that both sides have good and bad ideals, but could you really choose a man to rule like Ulfric? Someone who you think won't answer a summons on behalf of the Dragonborn, for the good of the nation?"

"If it came to be my decision, and I did choose him, he would be indebted to a bastard elf which may change his opinion on the Mer. If not…well, his arrogance would end up getting him killed and leave someone like Elisif in position to rule. Besides," Alessia grinned and continued up the steps. "I'm counting on that arrogance to get my way."

"For claiming to want to stay out of politics, you have a good head for it," Anders commented. "Maybe you should rule."

Alessia shuddered and climbed the final steps to the palace. "No way in Oblivion I'd ever do that! Besides, you and I want almost the same things in life. All _I _want is a handsome man, a decent meal, and the right to steal things from fools."

Anders laughed loudly, earning a stern look from the guard opening the door. As they entered, they heard shouting voices from another room and were halted by the Jarl's steward, Jorleif.

"I am sorry, but the Jarl cannot be seen right now," he said, his thick moustache wobbling as he spoke.

"I regret to detain the Jarl from his duties, but I bear a message of utmost importance," Alessia replied, bowing her head.

"If you would-wait, I know that voice! You're the one that helped us find the serial killer, the Butcher!" Jorleif exclaimed. "I'll fetch him right away. You know, it would be much easier if you didn't wear a hood all the time."

"The Butcher?" Anders whispered as the steward trotted away.

Alessia shrugged and walked towards the throne. "Someone had to figure it out…although, I was wrong the first time."

The yelling and swearing from the adjacent room stopped, and a man in black wolf fur-lined finery emerged and walked towards them. "I hear you should be thanked for stopping the menace that had plagued our city," he said, bypassing them completely to sit on the throne.

"I should not, my Jarl. If I had figured it out sooner and prevented more deaths, then perhaps," Alessia said, crossing her arms over her chest and bowing. Anders mimicked her bow, and was already thinking how very correct Alessia's portrayal of Ulfric had been.

The Jarl rubbed his chin, fiddling with his reddish brown goatee. "That is neither here nor there, I suppose. My steward tells me you have an important message for me."

"I do. The Dragonborn requests your presence at High Hrothgar to negotiate a peace with the Empire until such time as the dragons have been dealt with."

Ulfric laughed, his voice booming through the hall. "And why would I do that? I've heard rumors but I must say - my guards can take down the dragons well enough. We don't need the Dragonborn."

"And how many of your people have died due to dragon attacks?" Alessia said angrily, but noticed the Jarl's incredulous look at her lack of propriety and relaxed. "Forgive me my Jarl, but the situation is much more dire than you realize. Alduin has returned. We have seen him, resurrecting dead dragons to wreak havoc on the people of Skyrim."

"Nothing but old wives tales and legend," Ulfric scoffed, then turned his gaze to Anders, acknowledging his robes just as Tullius had. "What say you, Arch Mage? Are these allegations true?"

"Absolutely true," Anders said. "We have seen a great black dragon calling out ancient words at a dragon's mound, and a live dragon emerging from it. There is a way to defeat Alduin, but the nation's infighting must be quelled for the time being."

The Jarl thought for a moment, looking off to the room he emerged from. The room where maps were strewn about haphazardly and marked upon heavily-the War Room, where he and his general decided where and when to attack the Empire. "I…cannot. We already so close to-"

"Tullius has already agreed," Alessia interrupted quietly. "You can't afford to not show up when he will. A summons has been sent to all Jarls and Guild heads to be at High Hrothgar on the first of Mid Year."

Ulfric's face turned red as he ground his teeth and rose from the throne angrily. "And you _dare_ to go to him first? I should see _you_ beheaded for treason!"

Alessia remained calm while faced with the screaming Jarl and though Bran laid his ears back threateningly, he did not growl. "Treason for informing the heads of warring factions of a peace conference?"

"For what you have done for Windhelm, I will let you live. Now get the fuck out of my city before I change my mind," he snarled, before storming off and yelling about travel preparations.

The trek through the city was silent. As they exited the large wooden doors leading to the wilderness, Anders wrapped her in a tight embrace. "I almost finished the Civil War with a lightning storm," Anders mumbled into her neck.

Alessia chuckled. "I told you he was an arrogant prick."

…

They made it to Winterhold before the sun set. Alessia was tickled to see all of the mages looking to Anders with such reverence, for she knew he would find it uncomfortable. He quickly called a meeting of all senior mages in the Hall of Elements.

Alessia paced as she waited and walked right into a fleshy wall. She looked up, surprised then smiled. "I always seem to run into you…literally."

Onmund smiled back. "I'm always afraid I've hurt you! You're so small!"

She shrugged and clapped him on the back. "I think I'll live. Oh, I think Anders – um…the Arch-Mage - is ready for you!"

"I know we have had many trying days recently," Anders began, addressing the assembled mages. "But I must call on some of you again. The dragons are swiftly killing off this nation's populace, and one who has the power to defeat them has arisen but she needs our assistance. The only way to defeat them is through the use of Dragonsreach, and it is not accessible unless she can iron out a peace between the Stormcloaks and the Empire. I'm not asking you to take sides, here. There are no sides to a temporary truce. I need trustworthy people who will treat High Hrothgar as holy, and not allow others to taint it with treachery and violence. I need those ready to defend the Dragonborn to the death if need be."

Tolfdir immediately stepped forward. "I am yours, as always."

J'zargo, the Khajiit with the silly moustache, stepped forward. "This one may not be from Skyrim, but it is his home and he is happy here."

"Fantastic! But, no experimenting spells while we're there, alright?" Anders asked, a pointed look on his face.

The Khajiit shrugged and nodded.

"Um…I'll come too," Onmund said, stepping forward shyly and gesturing to Alessia. "Is she the Dragonborn? I wouldn't doubt it."

Anders looked at Alessia, who gave him a slight nod. "She is. You will respect her and obey her commands as you would from me. The meeting is on the first of Mid Year. Be ready to travel and meet us there. For now, we have preparations to see to and must depart. Thank you all."

"She's always running into me when she's here," Onmund whispered to J'zargo. "I think she likes me!"

…

The round trip from High Hrothgar and back only left a few days for Alessia once they got to Riften. A short meeting with Jarl Laila Law-Giver cemented her attendance and willingness to help Alessia, ending with a solemn "I hope you know what you're doing."

They headed down to the Cistern, and Anders decided to make his way to Esbern's old haunt, to outfit it as a place for healing as he had wanted. In the meantime, Alessia shared a drink and plotted with the help of Brynjolf and Delvin at the Ragged Flagon.

"It's a good plan, lass. You'll have us, the College and the Dawnguard in your pocket for sure. I know Kodlak is a good man but his Guild can run a bit…wild. Are you sure you should place them next to the Thalmor?" Brynjolf asked, taking a sip of his ale.

Alessia grinned. "I know enough to know he'll bring the twins, and Farkas still owes me from the time I drank him under the table at the Bannered Mare. Once he sees me, he'll defend me."

"But wot about th'other Jarls?" Delvin wondered. "Sure, ya got the queen and Laila, but you ain't done shit for the others if they show up."

"I have, actually," Alessia said. "Everywhere I go, someone wants a favor. I've helped every Jarl's people in one way or another. Fetch this, do that…either way, all we need is Ulfric and Tullius to just quit squabbling for a bit and let me catch a dragon."

"If anyone can make them shut up lass, it's you," Brynjolf replied, giving her a warm smile. "For what it's worth, I think it will work."

Alessia smiled back and rose from her chair. "Part of it depends on you boys. Get out your keys. I need to get inside the Vault to retrieve something…"

…


	34. Chapter 34

_**A/N from moosesaregreat: sorry for the delay, guys! My laptop pooped out on me and I had to get a new one, but I'm poor so it took a while! I hope what I present to you now will make up for the long absence!**_

_**Thanks to MB18932, smugget, Ravenwiccn, KnightOfHolyLight, Graymalkyn, and AnaOakenshield for the fantastic reviews, and to those who have added us to their followed/favorites!**_

_**So. BEHOLD MY BRAIN CHILD! This was fantastic to write, and something that has been knocking around in my head for a while. I sincerely hope you enjoy. **_

_**As always, Bethesda/Bioware own.**_

_**A/N from alyssacousland:**_

_**Another BRILLIANT chapter from our moosesaregreat! Please be sure to check her other fic 'Stolen Darkness.' It is AWESOME! :D **_

Chapter 34

The trip from Riften to Ivarstead was quick, and while Anders was not keen on having Brynjolf watching him like a hawk the whole time, the banter between the thieves was amusing. They bickered like children, poking fun at each other like siblings, and Anders smiled at the underlying but evident affection between them all. It reminded him of Hawke's rag-tag group in Kirkwall and though he was happy here in Skyrim with Alessia, he nonetheless felt a pang of homesickness.

Alessia was intent on speaking with some of the guild leaders before making the ascent to High Hrothgar. She had known Ulfric would react angrily when he found out she had secured General Tullius for the conference before she came to him, but his explosive reaction made her worry. She knew Ulfric would respect High Hrothgar and the pilgrim's path of 7,000 steps…but Ivarstead and the road to the base of the mountain were fair game.

They reached Ivarstead as the sun set and reigned their horses to a stop at the inn. Judging from the almost full stable, they were not the first to arrive. She dismounted gracefully, and after giving Anders a quick embrace and a kiss that was met with a wolf whistle from Vex, she pulled up her mask and hood, then entered the inn. She was not sure who was inside and to Ulfric and Tullius, she did not want to be seen as Guildmaster, lover of the Arch Mage or friend to Jarl and Queen alike. To them, they must only see the Dragonborn.

Alessia gazed around the full common room, the commotion of men shouting for more ale, jovial conversations and a duo of bards singing along with their drum and lute almost deafening. She immediately found a pair of glowing eyes in a dark corner and approached.

"The only ones here so far are us, Elisif and the mages," Serana said, before giving her friend's hand a squeeze.

Alessia pulled the vampire into a hug. "They all know who I am so no need to hide. I'm sorry to cut this short, but I need a favor of you."

At that moment, J'zargo, the Khajiit mage walked up to them. "The Arch Mage says you need this one's assistance?"

"Yes, this task is for the both of you. I need you to scout the roads for a few miles around the village and watch for any groups of travelers, moving or camped. Alert me if you find either General Tullius or Ulfric Stormcloak. Do not approach them, just report back to me. Some of the Thieves Guild is on the lookout as well, so if you see them, don't worry."

The mage bowed his head and left, leaving the pair alone again. "I know you can search further and more stealthily than he, but Khajiit see as well at night as I do during the day," Alessia said.

"Let me guess, you're worried about a fight breaking out before we even get up the mountain," Serana chuckled. Alessia smiled and nodded. "I figured as much. I will let you know what I find, my friend."

Just as Serana departed, Alessia was mauled by a squealing Sorine. "I'm so glad you're alright! I was so worried about you!"

Alessia laughed and hugged her back. "It took some doing, but I'm just fine. I had the best healer in Tamriel." She looked around the room and found Anders sitting with Delvin and Tolfdir. "Come sit with us. I'm starving!" Sorine declined, saying she needed to find Isran and let him know she arrived.

She pulled her hood back and mask off as she wove her way between tables. She saw the door open and a few people come in as she walked, but Vex was outside the door and would alert her if anyone she deemed unfriendly came about.

Alessia sat down with her back to the room and Anders began to tell her that he ordered her dinner, but stopped midsentence, staring at a point above her head and began to reach for the staff propped against the wall behind him.

Alessia rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, there's a big ugly Nord with a giant axe behind me, isn't there?" Tolfdir, eyes wide, nodded vehemently. She sighed and stood slowly. Anders began to stand as well. "Let me handle this," she said, then turned to face the Nord.

"You owe my brother money," he growled, stepping forward to tower above her.

"He shouldn't be such an easy target," Alessia retorted haughtily.

"Snow-back!" the man exclaimed threateningly.

"Milk drinker!" she snapped.

"Pointy-eared midget!"

"Walking slab of hairy ham!"

Rather than spout another comeback, the man suddenly looked crestfallen. "You don't really think I'm ugly, do you?"

Everyone at the table looked at them agape as Alessia burst out laughing and was enveloped in a massive bear hug by the giant Nord. She disentangled herself and introduced him. "Everyone, this is Farkas - member of the legendary Companions and most apt Nord to lose a drinking contest. Farkas, this is Anders-Arch Mage of the College of Winterhold, Tolfdir-his second, and Delvin-my…what would you be, my third? I don't know. Anyway, thief extraordinaire."

The big man grinned widely, nearly splitting his face in two. "Nice to meet you all. I will talk to you later. I have to steal the Dragonborn. The Harbinger wants to talk to her."

Alessia apologized quickly to the group and took Delvin's mug of ale with her as she followed Farkas to one of the private dining rooms of the inn.

…

A burly man in heavy armor with long graying hair sat at the table nursing a bottle of mead. He made to rise, but Alessia quickly waved him down.

"We can dispense with formalities, Harbinger. No need to rise."

Kodlak chuckled and rose all the same, bowing slightly. "I may be an old man, but I am a Nord. I will show the Dragonborn respect." He sat back down and indicated for her to sit as well. "So, the Dragonborn is just a slip of a girl. If you don't mind, how old are you?"

"I have seen 25 name days, Harbinger."

"Maybe it is because I am an old man, but you are too old to be a child, but far too young in many ways. It is a heavy mantle you wear, young one."

Alessia sighed and took a sip of ale as Farkas left the room. "So it is. I can deal with fighting dragons and draugrs every time I turn around. In fact, I like to fight. It's this political bullshit that I hate."

Harbinger nodded sagely. "To fight is to prove one's worth to both yourself and others. But, to know when to put your sword down is true wisdom. This is something not many Nords understand. Fighting is in our blood. Perhaps that is why you enjoy it. I understand you are half Nord."

"I am, and I think that is part of what worries me so. I fear that Skyrim will hate the fact that the Dragonborn is only a half-blood."

"You are wise to worry, but I think not having their villages and lives snuffed out by dragon fire will placate them." Kodlak watched her for a moment, then spoke again. "What worries me is not that the Dragonborn is a Halfling, it is the symbol you bear on your chest so proudly."

Alessia's hand rose to her chest, feeling the raven with wings spread that was embossed in the black leather. "I knew asking as a Nightingale would bring you just as surely as being the Dragonborn."

"Being the Harbinger of the Companions grants me knowledge of truths that the layman deems as myth and fantasy. I know enough of your Order to know that this is just as heavy a mantle to wear as having the dragon's blood. Your own blood makes it even more dangerous. Any Prince will see nothing but power and want to take you for their own."

"I know," Alessia said quietly. "I've already had Molag Bal try to take me."

Kodlak sighed. "I cannot divulge my own guild's secrets, but I will give you some advice. Do not heed any Prince. They will trick you into something you do not want, including your Order's mistress. Be wary of any dealings with them, for even though it may help you in life-in death your soul will be theirs."

Alessia said nothing, only stared into the depths of her mug.

"Come, young one. You sated an old man's curiosity enough for one night. Go back to your friends. Tomorrow will be a long day."

Alessia locked eyes with Kodlak, and squeezed his hand from across the table. "Thank you for the advice."

…

When she finally returned to the table, Delvin and Tolfdir were gone, leaving a worried Anders. They were both quiet as she ate her now cold supper, but the melancholy of her mood did not escape him. "What's wrong, love?"

Alessia took a long drink of ale before answering. "I question some of the decisions I've made. But, nothing to be done about it now."

Anders watched her as she finished eating. "I understand. I've told you of the things I've done, and I sometimes wonder how different things would be if I'd done things differently."

Suddenly, the door burst open and Serana ran in. After a brief but frantic search for Alessia, she quickly reached the table. "Ulfric is still a bit north of here, but marching steadily. Tullius is camped a few hours south with a few Empire guards, but he has some Thalmor with him. A woman, and some wizards."

Alessia pinched the bridge of her nose. "I knew he would bring Elenwen…or she would force him to let her come. Alright. Come morning, Anders - you and the other mages along with the Brynjolf and the Guild will accompany Tullius up the mountain. Keep a close eye on the wizards. Serana - the Dawnguard and Companions will travel with Ulfric. Those are the two groups I think he will be okay with. Both of you: keep your eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary, and anything regarding their plans after the peace conference. I need to know if they will turn on their promise."

"What about you?" Serana asked curiously.

"I am going to go speak to Isran and Kodlak, and hopefully be gone before Ulfric arrives. Bran and I will head up tonight, ahead of everyone else." Alessia smiled at the annoyed look on Anders's face. "We've talked about this, love. I need to be there first with the priests backing me, and I need you to keep the wizards from setting fire to something."

"I still don't like it," Anders grumbled. "What if you're overrun by a pack of trolls or something?"

Alessia smiled and leaned down, kissing him sweetly. "I'll be fine, I promise."

…

The heavy doors of the monastery swung open, admitting Ulfric, the group of guilds accompanying him, Jarl Laila Law-Giver and her troupe, along with Delphine and Esbern. Alessia stood fully armored, mask and hood up, just ahead of the group of monks lined up to greet their guests.

"Thank you for coming," Alessia said, her voice echoing off the tall stone ceilings. "We shall wait here to greet the other guests. Please follow Master Bori, he will show you to the conference room where refreshments await."

Ulfric narrowed his eyes at her as he followed the priest who led them down the hall. As Serana passed her, she whispered so quietly even Alessia's exceptional hearing barely caught it. "He will turn."

The Dragonborn grit her teeth and awaited the other groups. A short while later, the door opened again. General Tullius entered and gave Alessia a sympathetic look, along with Elenwen, Elisif, Balgruuf, Anders with the mages and Brynjolf with the guild. Elenwen was too busy complaining about the cold to realize Alessia was right in front of her, and walked past as they were directed to the conference room.

Anders slipped her a piece of paper and waggled his eyebrows at her as the group filed past. Alessia grinned beneath her mask and after everyone was in the room down the hall, she opened the paper.

_Dragonborn-_

_I regret to inform you that I cannot make the conference. Please know that Markarth stands with the Empire and whatever choice they make._

_Signed,_

_Jarl Igmund of Markarth_

_Dated this day, 27__th__ of Second Seed_

"Fuck", Alessia grumbled. After thinking for a while though, she realized his presence wouldn't matter if everything went to plan. She accompanied Arngeir and the other monks to the designated room. It was large, with a high vaulted ceiling, with a huge 'C' shaped table of stone in the middle. Alessia herself had set out plates of meat and cheese, jams and breads, dried fruit and silver chalices to be filled with mead or wine next to placards designating where everyone should sit.

Everyone had thankfully taken the positions she had asked for-The Blades sat on one long side of the table along with the Dawnguard, Jarl Laila, Ulfric, Jarl Balgruuf and the mages. The other side was filled with the Thieves' guild, Jarl Elisif, Tullius, the Companions, and the source of Ulfric's yelling as they walked in, Elenwen.

"I will not be a part of this if that…_woman_ is here too!" Ulfric shouted, pointing at Elenwen.

Arngeir sighed. "She is a part of the Empire's delegation. You would not broker a peace for the safety of the people you claim to fight for if one person is present?"

Ulfric's mouth snapped shut, a vein in his forehead protruding from the effort of letting it go. The Greybeards took their place at the open end of the table, Alessia walking the length of the room and stopping between Anders and Brynjolf at the other end.

Arngeir stepped forward. "We are here to broker a peace between the Empire and the Stormcloaks until such time as the Dragonborn has found a solution to the dragon menace. What say you?" he intoned, before stepping back into the line of monks.

Immediately, Ulfric demanded the Stormcloaks gain control over Markarth. Tullius argued over him that the Empire should be given Riften. Somehow, it turned into Solitude versus Winterhold, then smaller holds were thrown in as well. Alessia stood with her arms crossed, the growing din of people arguing, heads of factions standing and pointing at others in anger washing over her until she finally gathered air in her lungs and shouted a single word using the Throw Voice shout, to every corner of the room at once.

"ENOUGH!"

The cacophony of the arguing before now made the silence seem deafening as everyone turned to look at her.

"I will _not_ hear of how each side thinks the other owes them something. The only thing you owe ANYONE is this truce. People are dying every day thanks to the dragons. I can fix it, but only with your help. Stop this war, and the dragons are done."

"And after?" Ulfric asked, glaring at the black leather enveloped Dragonborn.

"Do as you wish, I care not for your war."

"Why should we listen to you? What have you done for Skyrim that I have not?" Ulfric growled.

Alessia touched Anders's shoulder lightly and began to walk along behind Elisif. "I stopped a serial killer in your own hold, Ulfric. I kept the Wolf Queen from rising again in Elisif's hold. I saved Whiterun from a dragon, and Markarth from Forsworn. And I never say 'no' to little things," she continued as she walked along behind Tullius. "Trolls took my da's ring! I need ice wraith teeth to keep my food cold! Bandits stole something that I need _oh so badly_!"

Beneath her mask, she could see the anger on Ulfric's face and the contemplation on Tullius's. "You see, Ulfric - I've done more for Skyrim in a hundred little ways than your rebellion has ever done. I move for a temporary truce."

"I second it!" called Jarl Laila of Riften.

Ulfric snorted. "Of course you do! Your hold is a den of thieves, and what's worse: the knife-eared Guildmaster couldn't even show her face!"

Elisif politely hid her grin in her cup of wine, but Delvin outright guffawed.

"Something funny, thief?" Ulfric's second, Galmar - a great bear of a man in heavy armor bellowed.

Alessia stopped, almost directly behind Elenwen. "Probably the fact that the bastard elf you treated as beneath you at Helgen is now the Dragonborn." Ulfric narrowed his eyes quizzically and Alessia pushed back her hood and pulled down her mask.

"YOU!" Elenwen growled, jumping to her feet and unsheathing her dagger. She slashed at Alessia as an arcane ward surrounded the thief, but she was far too slow. Alessia swung around behind Elenwen, twisting the arm holding her dagger until the woman screeched. The purple light of wards keeping either of her guards from casting appeared around them and they drew their swords. Serana jumped up and transformed into a cloud of bats, reappearing with her blade to one wizard's throat as Farkas's axe blade appeared, pinning the other wizard to the wall.

"I thought you forbade violence in your hall!" Elenwen yelled at the Greybeards.

"You began the violence. They stopped it," Arngeir replied tiredly.

"What is the meaning of this?" Tullius asked as he rose, waving down his guards.

"This woman is a murderer! She killed a dozen Thalmor!" Elenwen pleaded.

"No. They killed each other. I only began to kill them after I found the torture room that was in Elenwen's basement," Alessia said calmly, twisting the Thalmor's arm until it was numb, her dagger falling into Alessia's free hand. She handed the blade to Tullius and continued. "She was not torturing someone to get information for the Empire; she was torturing someone to find the last of the Blades. Which, funny thing…the man you were looking for is right over there."

Esbern smiled and waved.

Thunderclouds gathered over Tullius's brow. "Are her accusations true, Elenwen?"

"She's a murderer! A thief! I am close to the Emperor! Who would you believe?"

The young man who had been refilling the wine cleared his throat. "I believe I may be able to help with that, sir."

Alessia felt the Thalmor in her grasp stiffen as she recognized the serving boy. Etienne Rarnis, the man who had been tortured by her men for months, locked eyes with her.

"This woman ordered my torture, for months on end. I bear the scars to prove it," Etienne said, raising his shirt to show the General his back, riddled with the long narrow scars of whipping, ragged lines of where the torturers grew bored and just gouged out pieces of flesh.

Tullius closed his eyes for a moment, then ran his hand raggedly over his face. "We will need to take this up with the Emperor," he said quietly, putting steel cuffs around Elenwen's wrists as Alessia let her go. He quickly grew tired of the Thalmor's screams of protest and gagged her as well.

The General turned to Alessia. "You have made your point, Dragonborn. I cannot trust my comrades, and this country - if not all of Tamriel - would have fallen to dragons had I beheaded you at Helgen as I almost did. I accept my folly and accept your peace."

"And what of you, Ulfric?" Alessia called across the room.

"I will if he will," the Jarl said begrudgingly.

Alessia nodded and turned back to Tullius. "Do you wish escort for yourself and your prisoner?"

The General eyed the Thalmor guards and nodded.

"Very well. Kodlak, Tolfdir, would you escort the General as far as Ivarstead?"

They both nodded, and the group left the monastery. Ulfric dallied with the Greybeards, as he knew them well - having trained with them as a boy. The two surviving Blades and Anders made their way to her side.

"Alessia! I know what you should do next!" Esbern said excitedly. "A dragon's name is always three words of power, yes? Well, while you were chatting with the others here, I was reading a book about dragon names. Then, I had a stroke of brilliance! I crossed-referenced that book with Delphine's map, and found the dragon you want to call is Odahviing. He won't come just because you call, of course, but a dragon will not back down from a challenge. Call him, catch him and find out where to go from there!"

Alessia mulled it over, keeping an eye on Ulfric. "That's a grand idea, Esbern. Perhaps I should ask Paarthurnax about it first, just to be sure."

Esbern nodded, but Delphine butted in angrily. "You are not supposed to…_converse_ with dragons, you are supposed to kill them! How do you know this dragon is helping you?"

"He has never steered me wrong yet! In fact, he has helped me much more than you have!" Alessia snarled, stepping closer to Delphine. Anders's hand on her shoulder kept her from punching the arrogant woman, but she continued her tirade. "While you cower from a dragon, he pitched to and fro in the skies, giving Alduin as good as he got. TO HELP US!"

Delphine snorted and shifted her head, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Well, unless you kill Paarthurnax, the Blades will no longer help you in your quest. Isn't that right, Esbern?"

The balding old man looked back and forth between the two women, then shook his head. "We don't know what knowledge this dragon has," he began softly.

"Always with the 'search for lost knowledge' bullshit!" Delphine screeched, staring down Alessia. "Are you so blind as to let that dragon manipulate you so easily? Letting him live is dangerous!"

"Did you question Tiber Septim in this way? Do you even realize that without Paarthurnax, Tiber Septim would not be who he was?" Alessia countered.

"That dragon was Alduin's Lieutenant, and committed many crimes!" Delphine practically screeched angrily at her.

"What is worse?" Alessia said quietly. "To have committed crimes and repent? Or to continue to commit them arrogantly like you do? If it were not for Paarthurnax, man would not even know how to shout - man would now be a slave of Alduin! Are you really this foolish?"

"How dare you!" Delphine screamed shrilly.

Alessia's eyes flashed angrily. "You are as bad as the Thalmor in your arrogance. Your thirst for destroying the very hand that helped you win the war with the dragons so long ago makes me sick. I'll not touch Paarthurnax."

"I will not forgive this slight, Dragonborn," she whispered viciously before turning on her heel and leaving.

"Well. I'm _so_ not scared of that!" Alessia chuckled, leaning into Anders. "I have one more thing to do before we depart, love."

…

Ulfric gathered his people and moved towards the door to leave. The Dragonborn, that fucking half-elf bitch was sitting on a bench next to the door waiting for him.

"Your men should step outside and give us a moment before you leave, my Jarl," she said sweetly.

"And why would I do that?" he asked bluntly, wanting to get out of this monastery and on the road where they could plan how to take out the General's forces under this farce of a truce.

"Well," she said, swinging her foot childishly and marking her place in the book she was reading. "I found so many_ interesting_ things in First Emissary Elenwen's home, I thought I would share them with you."

Ulfric bit his lip and nodded his men through the door.

As soon as the door closed, Alessia opened her book and spoke. "You _know_ Elenwen, right? Well, I'll skip that part. '_He was made to believe information obtained during his interrogation was crucial in the capture of the Imperial City(the city had in fact fallen before he had broken) and then allowed to escape. After the war, contact was established and he has proven his worth as an asset. The so-called Markarth Incident was particularly valuable from the point of view of our strategic goals in Skyrim..._' what do you suppose she means by that?"

Ulfric lunged at her, but she remained still, smiling at him. Just as he reached her, magic enveloped him, holding him in place. The Arch Mage slowly stepped around Ulfric's still form to stand at her side. Two sharp points of pain registered amidst his incredulousness. A dagger held to his throat by a shadowy form, no doubt one of her damned Guild; the other just below his ribs, the figure holding it with the glowing eyes of a vampire.

The Dragonborn stood slowly, still smiling insufferably at him. "I hate to reduce myself to blackmail, Ulfric. I really do. However, I know what you are planning. If one Imperial falls to a Stormcloak blade, this journal will be mass produced and distributed in every hold. If an Imperial camp is found slaughtered, well…I have many friends, as you can see. _I_ don't have to be the one to wield the blade."

The blades left his skin and Alessia left his sight. After a few moments, the magic dissipated and he fell to the ground. He scrambled to his feet and ran out the door.

Serana laughed heartily as she watched. "Well, that was fun! What will you do now?"

Alessia smiled at her friend. "Now, I have to catch a dragon."

…


End file.
